


FOLIE À DOUZE

by nakamoon



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Comedy, Friendship, M/M, OT12 - Freeform, One-Sided Attraction, Romance, Romantic Comedy, little angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-31
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-07-28 13:18:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 50,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7642063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nakamoon/pseuds/nakamoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sehun loves Instagram and thinks Lu Han is nice. Tao loves Gucci and mooches off food. They’re best friends. Lu Han is a walking paradox who doesn’t know what he wants. Minseok doesn’t know if he’s Lu Han’s best friend or his number one enemy. Somehow Yifan ends up being in charge most of the time, and Junmyeon is going through a mid-life crisis at 22. They’re both embarrassing. Kyungsoo and Jongin hate love together. Chanyeol cannot shut up and Baekhyun loves the sound of his own voice. Jongdae loves to meddle and give unwanted opinion. Yixing just wants everyone to get along and maybe get a little drunk.</p><p>a ridiculous college au with too many love triangles and not enough studying.</p><p>(featuring: a lost cat, noraebang nights, a haunted house, and exo ot12).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. the place i have to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, everyone!
> 
> so yeah, this is the first thing i've posted in over a year and it's basically the result of a need to get over my writer's block + exo's summer comeback. it is incredibly self indulging so don't take it too seriously. it is supposed to be a wip and so far i've got 3 chapters done out of a possible 9, so expect updates.
> 
> just a warning, there's a couple of one-sided ships and past relationships, and not all of them are tagged because i didn't really want to spoil much. this fic is beta-ed by the wonderful [sam](http://www.straightforyifan.tumblr.com) :((( thank you, sam, you really are the best.
> 
> title is supposed to be a play on the french phrase folie a deux (roughly translated to: madness of two), so it literally means 'madness of twelve'. lyrics at the beginning of the chapter are an english translation of exo's el dorado.
> 
> enjoy

**.**

 

this walk will be a legend for the days to come.  
even if we’re walking in storms, if we’re together, i won’t be afraid.

**{chapter one}**

_///_

Sehun steps out of the bus with a heaving sigh. The fresh air hits his nostrils, and for a moment, he forgets where he is. It’s the first day of the rest of his life. Or the first day of the best days of his life. Something along those lines; he’s never been much for cheesy quotes.

He looks around his new university, admiring the tall buildings that surround the abundant greenery, and best of all, the bustling students that bring this place to life, ready to learn and discover what college life really is about. Some are slumped down on the grass, sleeping, others hurrying to their morning classes, others with coffee in their hand, ready to start anew this semester.

He takes a picture for his Instagram.

“Hashtag, University Life,” Sehun mutters as he rapidly types in on his phone, “Hashtag, Freshman. Hashtag, _Sehunstagram_.”

He keeps on walking aimlessly through the crowd of busy students, eyes still focused on his smartphone. “Which filter, though?” he thinks out loud, “Clarendon seems to work, but—”

In his haste and rashness, Sehun abruptly collides with something. Or rather, _someone_ , almost knocking him off his feet. That someone’s head collides with his chest and Sehun wants to scream out murder because it hurts like a bitch (but mainly because his phone almost slips out from his hands and onto the floor). He grabs onto it for dear life.

“What the fuck?” a slight accented voice says. Sehun finally looks up from caressing his almost-dead phone and sees a blur of honey colored hair before actually seeing the stranger’s face. Suddenly, Oh Sehun dies a little inside.

In front of him, while rubbing his now red nose, stands the modern day Adonis, a Greek statue made out of smooth pure marble, a bishounen prince straight out of a BL manga. Oh Sehun’s future husband.

“I-I’m sorry!” he blurts out a little too quickly and a little too loud, even for Sehun’s own ears. He stares at the other boy even more carefully. He’s a chunk shorter than Sehun, but his features are impossibly beautiful, exquisite: his cheekbones are sharp, his nose is elegantly sculpted in a gentle slope, and his eyes are huge and bright.

“You hit my nose.” The other boy retorts with a glare. “Look where you’re going.”

“I know, I’m sorry. Again.” Sehun starts blushing, his neck turning an embarrassing color red. “I can look at it. If you want. I know first aid.” He doesn’t. 

The shorter boy scrunches his eyebrows in apprehension and quickly backs away, “No.” then he sighs, “Whatever, I need to get to my dorm.” He starts walking away from the freshman without a second glance.

Sehun realizes two things at once: one, the love of his life is walking away from him, and two, he certainly has no idea where the dorms are.

“Um, wait— wait up!” Sehun calls to the still nameless student.

The boy looks back, eyebrows almost reaching his hairline, surprised that this mere mortal dares talk to him, a god. That’s what it looks like to Sehun, at least.

However, the boy does stop, and Sehun catches up to him. “Uh, do you think you can show me where the dorms are?” Sehun bites his lip.

The stranger slowly looks at him up and down, bright eyes unnerving the younger student. Sehun is shitting himself.

“You a freshman?”

Sehun nods quickly, feeling his blush rise up again.

The stranger sighs for the umpteenth time since Sehun laid eyes on him and motions to follow him, “You’re my good deed of the day.” He starts walking, “C’mon rookie, follow me.”

Sehun smiles brightly, following the new light of his life, “My name’s Sehun, by the way. Oh Sehun.”

The boy gives a short hum. “Cool. I’m Lu Han.”

 _Lu Han_. What a beautiful name, thinks Sehun, it sort of rhymes with his.

The two boys keep on walking among the student crowd. Lu Han’s short legs seem to be faster than Sehun’s though, and the taller boy has to trot in order to keep up.

“That’s,” he runs out of breath, “That’s not a Korean name, is it?”

Lu Han shakes his head, “It’s Chinese. _I’m_ Chinese.”

“Oh,” Sehun realizes. _Cute_ , he thinks. “No wonder you have an accent.”

Lu Han glares at him, “And you have a lisp. But hence, I speak two languages. And you, I assume, only speak Korean. With a lisp.”

“My lisp is my charm.” Sehun replies, “People tell me so.”

“Did your mom say that?”

Sehun pauses for a moment, “It was _in fact_ , my mom. That doesn’t make it any less valid.”

“Your mom must love you.”

Sehun wants to reply that _yes, his mom obviously loves him, an adorable baby_ , _a lot_ , but then they abruptly stop. There, in front of them, a massive brick building towers above.

“These are the dorms,” Lu Han waves his hand in front of the building, “At least, _my_ dorms. Are you staying in building A?”

Sehun scrambles for something inside of his pockets. He takes out a wrinkled piece of yellow paper. “Um, my dorms are…” he squints, reading the slip of paper, “ _Yes_. Building A. Dorm number 308.”

“ _Great_.”

“What? Why?”

Lu Han shakes his head, “Nothing. We’re on the same floor, so I guess just follow me. I’m in dorm 300.”

“So we’re neighbors!” Sehun smiles brightly.

“Nuh-uh.” Lu Han replies forcefully, “You’re in one _end_ of the hallway, I’m on the _opposite_ side of the hallway.”

“We’re on the same floor, we’re neighbors.”

Lu Han rolls his eyes. Sehun thinks he makes it look like an art form, and he definitely wants to learn it up close and personal if Lu Han is his teacher.

He doesn’t have time to think about that, however, because Lu Han starts walking inside the building, not bothering to check if Sehun is following him.

The inside of the building is not as posh as it looks on the outside. The first floor is just filled with old couches and vending machines. There’s two narrow staircases on each side of the room, probably leading up to the building’s four stories. Sehun realizes with a whine, that he’s going to have to walk these stairs at least twice a day.

 “Wait,” He suddenly stops and takes out his cellphone, “Lemme take a picture.”

Lu Han raises an eyebrow, “Of this place?”

But Sehun doesn’t answer, instead, he takes a picture of the old couches before typing something on his phone. “Hashtag, dorms. Hashtag, Uni Life.” He mutters.

“Say, freshman.” Lu Han interrupts in curiosity, “How come this is your first time visiting the dorms? Didn’t you come here during the summer to leave your stuff beforehand?”

Sehun looks up from his phone and waves a hand dismissively, “This is the first time I’m actually inside the university. You know, besides the Office Building. My mom will help bring the rest of my stuff this afternoon.”

Lu Han sighs, “Young ones these days.”

They start going upstairs. “Young ones? How old are you?” Sehun says in confusion. If it weren’t for the fact that Lu Han had called him freshman so many times now, he’d think that the shorter boy was even younger than Sehun.

“I’m 23. I’m in fourth year. So respect me, I’m your _hyung_.” Lu Han replies, emphasizing the Korean honorific with a smirk.

Now _that_ took Sehun by surprise. Lu Han was a total baby-face. Knowing Lu Han was 23 made him feel even more conscious about his newly developed crush. Sehun officially has a thing for older men.

“ _Hyungs._ ” Sehun rolls his eyes. “The bane of my existence.”

“Ok,” Lu Han points triumphantly, “This is floor three.”

They’ve arrived at a large hallway with dim lightning. “ _You_ are somewhere over there.” There’s four doors in each side and Lu Han points towards the other end of where they are. “And _I’m_ all the way over here.” He smiles.

Sehun realizes this is where they must part ways. Oh the cross-starred lovers.

He starts shyly, “Uh, thank you Lu Han, I really wish—”

“Scram it, freshman.” Lu Han deadpans, “I need to go pee.”

“Oh, sure. Um, see you later Lu Han. Hyung.”

“Yeah.”

With that, the older boy swiftly enters his own dorm and is out of Sehun’s sight. Sehun feels giddy. Lu Han _did_ agree about seeing him later, after all.

Now, he thinks, it’s time to go check out his dorm.

//

Lu Han closes the door with a slam. He _really_ needs to pee.

Off the corner of his eye, he sees a lump sitting on the kitchen table. The lump, who had been sleeping, wakes up on a whim as soon as Lu Han closes the door.

“ _They’ve come for me_.” The lump says, alert and awaken from whatever dream he was having.

“It’s just me Yixing.” Lu Han snorts before finally going to the toilet. Yixing looks at his surroundings and finally, gives a noncommittal grunt and shifts his attention to the now closed bathroom.

“Hey, Lu Han.” He says in mandarin, loud enough for the other boy to hear him. “How was your summer?”

“Yixing, can’t you wait? I’m pissing!” Lu Han shouts from inside.

Yixing shrugs and starts eating the soggy cereal he had made for himself before falling back asleep. He shouts back, “I’ve missed you, gege.”

He hears the toilet flush and a few moments later, Lu Han steps out. “Jesus, you’re like an overly excited puppy, aren’t you?” Lu Han exclaims, however, he soon walks towards the sleepy younger man and gives him a one armed hug. “I’ve missed you too, Xing-Xing.”

“So, how _was_ your summer?” Yixing asks again as Lu Han sits opposite of him and grabs an apple from their poorly stocked fruit basket.

 “Boring.” He munches on the bruised apple. “I literally did nothing but sleep after you left Beijing.”

“Ah, me neither.” Yixing replies dejectedly, “I would’ve stayed at least one more week, but you know how Mama wanted me back in Changsha as soon as possible.”

“S’ok. We should arrange some holidays for Christmas, though. All four of us.” Lu Han ponders. “By the way, where’s Yifan? Is he asleep?”

Yixing shakes his head, “No. I was the only one who got here last week. Spent the night here. Yifan arrived this morning at around 7, since he had to attend a Student Union meeting.”

Lu Han snorts, “Poor bastard. I tell you, Yixing, that’s what he gets for trying to look responsible even though he still wears Spongebob underwear.”

“But imagine if he gets elected President next year,” Yixing giddily says, “We could infiltrate all the booze we wanted and we would have the University President on our side.”

“Ok, first, Yifan would mercilessly throw us to the wolves if that ever happened,” Lu Han scowls, “and second, he’s never going to be elected president as long as creepy Kim Junmyeon is on the Union as well.”

“Anyways,” Lu Han stands up and grumbles, “I’m off again, Zitao is gonna arrive any moment now and I have to pick him up from the entrance.”

Yixing chuckles sweetly, “He knows where the dorm is. He was here all last week trying to fit his entire Gucci collection into the closet. Surprisingly, he almost succeeded.”

“Oh, well, you know Zitao, always one for a grand entrance.” Lu Han rolls his eyes and mutters, “And apparently, today I’m the official guide for idiot freshmen.”

“What was that, Lu-ge?”

“Nothing,” he sighs, “I’ll see you in a bit.”

//

“And so, in 1945, Adolf Hitler, while on his bunker, does his final deed, and consumes a cyanide capsule before shooting himself with a pistol. The Reich ends.” Professor Lee reads off from his book.

He looks up from said book, at his students, and inwardly sighs. It’s the first day and most of them are dozing off already. He can’t blame them though, a two hour lecture to start the week is hardly how he wants to spend his first Monday morning of the semester.

There’s still 10 minutes left of class, but Lee is a compassionate soul, if anything, and is about to let his students go free, when suddenly a small hand pops up.

The man has to suppress another sigh. A headache is coming.

“Yes, Mr. Byun?”

“Professor, I was watching Netflix the other night. Last week, actually, while I was still in Bucheon,” a loud, squeaky voice fills the room, some students even wake up in alarm. “And I started this really good documentary about World War II. About the life and times of Hitler, more specifically. And, um, it actually talked about how Hitler did not, in fact, die in that bunker.”

“Is that so, Mr. Byun?” The headache is here.

The small student nods, “Yes. Well that’s what some historians theorize, at least. They say that he most likely went off to Argentina, aided by Juan Perón, or you know, Evita’s husband. Evita from the musical, I mean.”

“Yes, well, there _is_ a book about Hitler’s supposed es—”

“Yes, there was even a movie made about it in 2014. Or was it 2013? Anyway, I think it’s important to analyze each point of view. Maybe Argentina has a lot of Hitler’s descendants right now. Maybe one married a Korean citizen and their offspring is living in Seoul right now. Maybe,” The student gasps, “one of them is in this exact same classroom.”

Lee really wants to go home right now, “I hardly think that’s a possibility, Mr. Byun. I—”

“You know, you talk too much, _Byun_.” A different voice from across the room says. “Either way, don’t you think if that were true there would be pictures? Or like, actual proof?”

Byun scowls, “There is proof. I can link you to the documentary, you asshole.”

“ _Byun, Kim_.” Their teacher warns.

A third voice speaks up, “Uh, I read that Hitler’s skull was actually a woman’s. So, like, that’s possible.”

“Mr. Park please don’t get involved.”

“See?” Byun starts again, “There’s academic proof.”

Some students watch on curiously the exchange between the three students. Others ignore them and keep on sleeping. Lee wishes he could do the same.

“It’s a conspiracy theory.” Kim rolls his eyes, “It’s phony. He died in Berlin. And you talk too much.”

“I don’t talk too much, I just have things to say, things to—”

“You do, you do talk too much.” Park butts in. Again.

Lee massages his head in irritation, “Ok, Mr. Kim, Mr. Byun, and Mr. Park, if you’re all so interested in this subject, I expect a 2,000 word essay about Hitler’s death. By Friday.”

“But—”

“No buts, you’re dismissed. Do well on your essay.”

Byun Baekhyun sighs and whines loud enough for the Professor to hear, but he ignores it and leaves the room before any of his students do.

Everyone else stands up and packs their things, while the small student slumps down on his desk. _Great_.

“Don’t look like that. You were the one who started it.” Kim Jongdae walks next to Baekhyun’s desk, a small Cheshire smile on his face.

“I hate you, Jongdae.” Baekhyun glares once more. “You really can’t shut up, can you?”

“Neither of you can shut up, if we’re being honest.” Park Chanyeol walks up behind them.

Jongdae and Baekhyun roll their eyes in unison, “And _you_ can’t help but butt in every time.” Jongdae retorts.

Chanyeol smiles, “What can I say? I was missing out on the fun. And that documentary _was_ pretty badass.”

“Oh, I know, I actually watched it as well.” Jongdae shrugs.

Chanyeol chortles out a laugh and Baekhyun shrieks, “You’re a little shit and you hate me!”

Jongdae pats the other’s head. “C’mon, let’s go buy some coffee, I’m sleep deprived.”

The three students walk out of the classroom and into the crowded hallway. The tallest of them all, Chanyeol, in the middle, with one arm each around his shorter friends.

“When did you get back here? In Seoul, I mean.” Chanyeol asks.

“Last week. Was the first to arrive here, actually. Had the dorm to myself for three whole days.” Baekhyun smiles, his mouth forming a rectangular shape, showing an array of white pearlies. “Kyungsoo arrived afterwards.”

“Just you and Kyungsoo alone?” Chanyeol shifts his eyes incredulously, “Uh…you didn’t kill each other?”

Baekhyun waves his hands dismissively, “It was only for a day. And he cooked ramen for us, so I didn’t starve. Then Junmyeon arrived the next day.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol raised his eyebrows, “So I was the last one to arrive?”

“Pretty much,” Baekhyun replies, “Which, shame on you, you’re the one who actually lives here in Seoul.”

“What about you, Jongdae?” Baekhyun looks at his other friend, “What happened with your dorm arrangements in the end?”

Jongdae pouts, “I didn’t get to stay in my old dorm. Something about how I couldn’t live there alone when there are dorms that aren’t full. I got assigned to some new one with five other people.”

Baekhyun and Chanyeol cackle out a laugh. “Serves you right,” Baekhyun says, “It wouldn’t be fair if you got a whole dorm for yourself while I have to share a room with Mother Hen, Grumpy Grumps, and Mr. Snore-a-lot here.”

“I can’t help that, I told you Baekhyun,” Chanyeol whines, “It’s a medical condition and if you love me, you’ll have to accept me just as I am.”

“Or, I could just move in with Kyungsoo. He’s definitely cleaner than you.”

“You can’t,” Chanyeol smirks, “We have a new roommate, remember? His stuff’s already there, he’s gonna share a room with Kyungsoo now.” The tall boy, as if remembering something, quickly checks his phone. “Which reminds me, we have to get that coffee real quick. Junmyeon wants us in half an hour at the dorm. Wants us to welcome the new roommate or something.”

Jongdae huffs out a laugh, “Eomma is too much, isn’t he?”

Baekhyun scrunches up his nose, “Tell me about it. I missed him though. He and his obnoxious mother hen syndrome.”

“Did you miss _us_ , Baek?” Jongdae smiles at his friend while pinching his left cheek. Chanyeol pokes the other one with a huge smile. “Did you, Byun?”

“No way, I have to live through another semester of your atrocities.” he retorts, but even Baekhyun can’t keep the smile from reaching his eyes.

//

He looks at his watch.

Lu Han sits cross-legged on the floor, ripping the grass around him in shreds. There are other students nearby, one sleeping comfortably on the bench beside him, and a couple disgustingly making out beside the tree next to his. He huffs out a sigh in annoyance and looks at his watch once again.

Zitao still hasn’t arrived.

Lu Han literally has around 20 minutes to get Zitao sound and safe in the shared dormitory, get changed, and go to the soccer pitch for their first team meeting of the year. Which Lu Han _cannot_ afford to miss, not when the captaincy of the team is up for grabs to any fourth year who manages to impress their coach.

Lu Han grits his teeth, ready to leave Zitao to his luck, when suddenly, a nasal shrill voice calls for him from across the street.

“Lu-ge! Lu-ge!” a tall figure jumps up and down, waving his hands erratically. Lu Han stands up and chuckles out a dry laugh under his breath. _What a brat_.

“Wah, you’re still so tiny, Lu-ge. Are you going to stay like this now?” The younger boy says in Mandarin as he finally makes his way to where Lu Han is standing, a sweet smile decorating his face. He looks ridiculous, with his Prada sunglasses perched on top of his head, a silver earring dangling from his left ear, and two different scarves hanging off from his neck. He doesn’t look like a student. As always, Huang Zitao looks straight out of a runway.

Lu Han glares and punches the other’s shoulder. “And you’re still a rude little brat, as always, Huang Zitao.”

Zitao pouts and rubs his arm, “Is that way to treat your new dorm mate?”

Lu Han rolls his eyes, grabbing Zitao by the arm and guiding him towards the dorms, “As a matter of fact, yes. This is how I treat Yifan and Yixing as well. Get used to it, _dorm mate_.”

“Rude.” The freshman sniffs, but clings his arm to the shorter boy nonetheless, eyes twinkling in excitement, “Aren’t you excited? I’m finally in college. Here, in Korea! With you, Lu Han!”

Lu Han tries to suppress a smile. People are already looking at them weird. Or, well, they’re looking at Zitao, who is still babbling on and on in mandarin, loud and high.

Instead, he scowls, “Yixing told me you got here last week.”

The younger boy nods, “Yeah. All my stuff is already at the dorm. You didn’t tell me the closets were so small.” He sniffs, “I had to put some of my clothes inside a trunk and I had to put the trunk underneath my bed.”

“You should’ve just brought school clothes and left the rest back in China.” Lu Han nags.

“I did!”

Lu Han shouldn’t be surprised if in a few weeks Tao steals half of his own closet to use. Or Yifan’s, _and_ Yixing’s.

“Where did you stay?” he asks instead, “I’m assuming you didn’t stay in the dormitories all this time.”

Zitao shakes his head and hums, “I flew back to Qingdao. Just arrived today, actually. Had someone drop me off from the airport.”

 “I have to get to a soccer meeting, and you’re delaying me. I should’ve sent Yixing for you.” He laments.

“Yixing would’ve been nicer to me.” Zitao adds.

“Most likely. But you don’t deserve Yixing, so here I am. The guide from hell.” Lu Han rolls his eyes.

Zitao laughs warmly and tries to nuzzle his face on Lu Han’s shoulder, which is quite a difficult feat in itself seeing as Lu Han is indeed much shorter than Zitao and they need to keep walking. Fuck everything.

“How’s Yifan?” Zitao asks instead.

“Yifan?” Lu Han smirks, “Why do you ask? Does he still tickles you fancy?”

Zitao blushes but rolls his eyes, “Fuck you, 15 is a feeble age and Yifan was pretty good looking at 18.”

Lu Han cackles out a laugh, but keeps quiet. After all, Zitao wasn’t the only one to have a crush on Yifan at the time, not that Lu Han would ever admit it. And he’s pretty sure Yixing had one as well.

Lu Han arrives at Building A, with a freshman on his tail, for the second time that morning.

“So pretty.” Zitao wonders, looking at the tall building.

Lu Han squints at the old, ugly building. Before he can make fun of Zitao, the latter takes out his phone.

“For my Instagram.” Zitao smiles proudly.

Lu Han can only stare. It’s like these freshmen try to make fun of themselves.

He looks at his watch once again.

“Shit, shit,” he mutters, “ _Fuck_.”

“Lu-ge?” Zitao looks up from his phone.

 “I’m late to the meeting,” Lu Han adds quickly, “You know where the dorm is. Please get there by yourself and tell Yifan to make you a sandwich or something. I need to go.”

Before Zitao can reply, Lu Han is off like lightning.

“What an odd gege,” Zitao muses at the running figure. “I’ve really missed him.”

He turns back to look at the imposing building and smiles. Lu Han was right, he probably should’ve send Yixing instead to go fetch him, but it’s not like Tao didn’t know where his dorm was. He’d visited once, last semester, while he was still thinking about enrolling. And of course, he visited the dorm at least three times last week, making several trips to bring to campus everything he needed. It was mostly clothes, if he was being honest.

With a proud smile, Tao walks inside and quickly makes his way upstairs, knowing exactly where his new dormitory is.

He’s about to open the dorm, with his very own keys, mind you, when he sees a slumped figure all across the hallway. It’s a tall student, he notices, with dark hair and perched sunglasses not unlike Tao’s own. He’s sitting in front of a door, as if waiting, while occupying himself with his cellphone.

He’s about to call for the boy, to ask if he needs any help, when Tao’s own door opens in a whim.

“Zitao!” a dimpled boy exclaims with in a sweet voice, “You’re here!”

He is ushered inside before he can even say hello and the instant smell of fried noodles and cooked meat greets him in welcome.

“Ah! What are you cooking Yixing-ge?” Tao follows the smell of food to the small kitchen behind the living room, where he sees an even taller boy than himself looking down in confusion at a giant wok.

“Hey, Zitao.” Wu Yifan looks up and smiles, “Just in time to help us.”

He waves back, trying not to think of his previous conversation with Lu Han, “Hello Yifan-ge.”

“We’re making Chow Mein.” Yixing enters the kitchen as well and replies, “Thought it’d be a nice dinner now that you’re here. And the new dorm mates as well.”

“Unfortunately, none of us, including Lu Han, really learned how to cook traditional Chinese food.” Yifan stares back at the frying noodles, poking them carefully, “I don’t think it’s bad though, it smells nice.”

Tao looks at the Chow Mein in curiosity. It doesn’t look half bad.

He snaps his head back at Yixing, “Wait, did you say new dorm mates? I thought I was the only new one.”

Yixing shakes his head and Yifan continues, “Apparently they want to fill the dorms to the maximum number of students. Which is two per bedroom. So that’s six for us.”

“They’ll probably be freshmen though.”

“And they’re probably going to be Chinese as well,” Yixing cheers, “Since, you know, this is the unofficial Chinese dorm. That’s why we’re making _Chow Mein_ , and not, like, Kim Chi.”

“Oh, so more like me.” Tao ponders. That just means more friends, he thinks, which is something he definitely wants.

“So, uh, will you help us?” Yifan smiles nervously at him while pointing at their still uncooked food.

Tao grimaces, “I…I really don’t know how to cook either.”

 “Great, four Chinese men, and neither knows how to make simple Chow Mein.” Yifan grunts, throwing his head back, “Our moms would be so disappointed.”

//

Lu Han peers carefully inside the coach’s office. It smells like sweat and testosterone, not unlike the soccer locker room. Lu Han is drenched in sweat and his face is red. He should’ve gotten more in shape during the summer instead of lazing around in bed all day. Somehow playing FIFA is not the same as training.

The head coach, Song, has his head turned down, reading what are probably official papers or whatever coaches did besides training them. He hasn’t heard or seen Lu Han, so the student coughs awkwardly.

Coach Song turns his head in an instant, eyes settling on Lu Han, and then raises an eyebrow.

“Well, long time no see, Mr.”

Lu Han stutters out, “I—I’m sorry Coach Song, I didn’t mean to be late, but things at my dorm are still settling and—”

Song stops him with a hand in the air. “It’s ok, Lu Han.”

Lu Han flushes, “No it’s not, I won’t be late ever again, I promise.” He bows in a 90° degree angle.

The coach sighs, “Listen, Lu Han, I know you want the captaincy for next semester, and if we’re being honest, you’re probably the best player we have after the seniors. But you have to give a 100 percent. You can’t be late, you can’t just skip meetings, if anything, you have to be here before everyone else.”

“I know, I _know_ , trust me sir, I want this more than anything. Today will not happen again.”

The man gives him a small smile, “Look, just keep training, be here on time, don’t skip, and you’ll be fine. And try to help your fellow teammates, be a leader.”

“Of course, sir.”

“You didn’t miss much, though, don’t worry.” he chuckles, “Just passed attendance and introduced the new players.”

“Thank you, see you tomorrow, Coach.” Lu Han turns around and starts walking out of the room, his heart already beating at a more regular pace. He’s going to kill Zitao.

“Oh, Lu Han.” The Coach calls out.

Lu Han turns around.

“I know I said you don’t have much to worry about, but,” the Coach smiles, Lu Han gulps, “Keep an eye out for Kim Minseok. If you don’t get to be captain next semester, it’s because he will.” Song turns back to his papers, not looking at the soccer player. “Dismissed, boy.”

Lu Han, stunned and with his mouth wide open, heads out of the office, mind whirring.

_Who the fuck._

He walks slowly down the hallway, panicked. Who _is_ Kim Minseok? Lu Han has been on the team since he was a freshman, he knows everyone on the team, he’s been here for _four_ years now and he doesn’t know a single Minseok.

He listens as a few voices from the players still echo through the locker rooms, he can hear the little fuckers talking and laughing. He growls and starts marching towards the smelly room.

“Ok, who the hell is Kim Minseok?” He demands as soon as he enters. A few familiar faces look up. “Is it you Johnny?” he asks a second year, marching towards him like a menace, “Has your name secretly been Minseok all this goddamn time?”

The second year rolls his eyes in a scoff, ignoring his irritable sunbae.

Lu Han then scans the room, and everyone seems to go back to ignoring him. The nerve. His eyes fall on an unfamiliar boy and Lu Han now marches toward him. The boy is small and meek. “Are _you_ Kim Minseok? I’ve never seen you here before!” Lu Han says loudly, hitting the locker beside him in irritation.

The small boy gets scared and shivers. “I’m a…I’m a freshman sir, I’m new—”

“A freshman? Kim Minseok is a _freshman_?” Lu Han splutters, “Listen here you little twat—”

“Leave him alone.” A new voice surges from behind making Lu Han turn around in surprise.

“And who are you?” he spits at the newcomer.

“Kim Minseok. Heard you were looking for me.” The boy smirks.

Lu Han gets wide eyed, and the previous boy, the small one, takes advantage of the situation and makes a run for it. The Chinese boy stares at the newcomer. He _looks_ like a freshman. With round cheeks, huge cat eyes and short height. His hair is dyed in an annoying blond color and even from here, Lu Han can see traces of dark charcoal eyeliner. Lu Han scoffs.

“And who are you?” Minseok asks instead, stepping forward, chin in the air. “Why are you looking for me so desperately?”

Lu Han glares, “How come I’ve never seen you before? You a freshman?”

“I’ll answer if you answer.”

Lu Han sighs in annoyance and rolls his eyes. “I’m Lu Han. I’m part of the team.”

“Oh, you’re the star player, then?” Minseok’s eyes shine with recognition, “No wonder.”

“No wonder what?”

“Nothing. And to answer your question, I’m a transfer student. You would’ve known that if you had attended the meeting, though.”

Lu Han grits his teeth, but decides to ignore the jab in favor of asking, “So you’re not a freshman?”

Minseok walks back to his locker, backpack in hand as Lu Han follows behind, “I’m in fourth year.”

“ _Fourth year?”_ he exclaims _,_ “You don’t look—”

“You don’t either.” Minseok glares at him with his sharp cat eyes, and suddenly Lu Han can’t talk back.

“Ok, ok.” He frowns with a cough, backing down.

“Now, if you’re done harassing me, I really need to go check on some things regarding my transfer.” Minseok gives him a tight smile and walks past Lu Han in a breeze.

Lu Han can only stand there, with a scowl on his face and wondering what the hell just happened.

//

“I can do, like, the outline or something. Chanyeol can add in his research and details, and then you just revise it and edit it.” Baekhyun exclaims, motioning and waving his hands like the little walking firecracker he is.

Jongdae shakes his head with a grimace, “ _No_. He’s not gonna let us do this together, don’t be daft.”

“It’s true,” Chanyeol adds with a shrug, “He’s just going to make us do it all over again.”

“He never mentioned anything about it being individual work.” Baekhyun reasons.

The three students walk across the hallway, making their way to Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s dorm.

“I’m not risking it,” Jongdae starts, “Besides, it’s your fault we’re doing the essay in the first place.”

“My fault?” Baekhyun shrieks, “Who was the one who unnecessarily butted in? I just wanted a—”

“What’s that smell?” Jongdae interrupts, sniffing the air.

“What smell?”

Baekhyun sniffs it too, “I smell it too…it’s like, burnt food, I think.”

Chanyeol closes his eyes and pleads, “Please, god, don’t let it be our dorm.”

However, as soon as they walk in front of their door, the smell definitely becomes stronger than before.

Jongdae snickers, “I hope your dorm is on fire.”

Baekhyun sends him a glare, but before he can actually snap back, a familiar voice can be heard through the door.

“I’m really sorry about this all,” the muffled voice says with a chuckle, “You’re not a lucky one, eh?”

Baekhyun and Chanyeol exchange a glance before the taller boy opens the door with a shrug.

As Baekhyun peers in, the sight of Junmyeon standing in front of a strange boy with blonde hair greets him. Junmyeon is wearing the embarrassing pink apron Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, and him got the older boy as a prank/birthday present last year. Joke was on them because Junmyeon had loved it.

“Uh, hi.” Chanyeol speaks up, looking at Junmyeon, then at the stranger.

Junmyeon turns around, a scowl on his face and hands on his hips. “I told you to get here two hours ago.”

“Sorry, Myeon, got caught up doing some homework.” Baekhyun sweatdrops with a nervous smile.

“Really?” Junmyeon raises an eyebrow, incredulous, “On the first day of the semester?”

“Baekhyun’s fault.” Chanyeol and Jongdae, the traitors and liars, say in unison.  Chanyeol finally steps into the living room, where the new boy looks at them curiously, quiet.

Jongdae goes straight into the kitchen, like the little vulture he is.

Junmyeon ignores him, however, and finally points at the stranger and says, “This is Kim Jongin. He’s our new dorm mate.”

“The one rooming with Kyungsoo?” Baekhyun asks, eyeing the blonde. Even though he’s sitting down, Baekhyun can tell Jongin is tall, at least taller than himself. His legs are long and slim, just like the rest of him, and his face is handsome, with full lips and a slight tan. He’s pretty, in other words. At least prettier than the rest of the current occupants of dormitory 308.

“Yes. His stuff was the one that arrived last week.” Junmyeon motions, smiling back at Jongin. “These are the rest of our dorm mates.”

Jongin gives a shy and soft smile, then adds with a deep voice, “Nice to meet you, hyungs.”

“Well, hello, Jongin!” Chanyeol replies chirpily, “I’m Park Chanyeol.”

“I’m Byun Baekhyun.” Baekhyun smiles back, getting himself comfortably on the sofa opposite Jongin. Chanyeol sits next to him.

“And I’m Do Kyungsoo,” Jongdae peeks his head from the kitchen, “Your evil roommate.”

“Oh, you’re Kyungsoo?” Jongin asks.

Before Jongdae can say anything stupid, Junmyeon intervenes, “No, that’s _not_ Kyungsoo, thank god. That’s just Jongdae, our very own leech. Unfortunately, you’re gonna see a lot of him around here.”

“Waaae!” Jongdae steps out of the kitchen, “I’m not a leech.” As he says this, however, he munches on the last piece of strawberry cake they had.

“He’s like a pet,” Baekhyun hisses, glaring at the cake, “Who eats all of our food.”

“By the way, what’s that smell, Junmyeon-hyung?” Chanyeol asks, grimacing at the smell they had first noticed, much to Junmyeon’s chagrin.

The older boy blushes in embarrassment, “Kyungsoo called and he’s a bit busy today, so um, I decided to make lunch myself since this is Jongin’s first day with us. Wanted to make some pasta al dente, you know, like in that show we watched that one time.” He scratches the back of his neck.

“That’s…eerily sweet,” Baekhyun ponders, “It just smells really bad.”

“I can eat it, though,” Jongin jumps in, “I really can eat anything, I’m not picky.”

Chanyeol smirks, “I wouldn’t be so quick to say that, Jongin. This hyung’s food is impossibly horrible.”

“Maybe I would’ve done a better job, Park Chanyeol, if you had come help me instead of fooling around for two hours.” Junmyeon exclaims, dignified.

“Anyway,” Junmyeon continues, “There’s actually some other news.”

“Do tell, leader Kim.” Baekhyun feigns interest, opting to rest his head on Chanyeol’s comfortable shoulder instead, and eyes their shared game console, tempted.

Junmyeon ignores him, “We actually have another dorm mate coming in a bit.”

This does catch Baekhyun’s attention, standing up and ungluing himself from his friend “Wait? Really? But the office didn’t send us a notice about anyone else rooming here.”

“Apparently the arrangement wasn’t done until late in the summer, it seems.” Junmyeon shrugs, “And since we can still house one more person, they gave him to us.”

“I suppose he’s gonna be rooming with you?” Chanyeol asks slowly.

Junmyeon nods while Jongdae snorts, “Wow, poor sod. Jongin here won the lottery by rooming with tidy Kyungsoo, but that guy just lost in life.”

Baekhyun chortles while Junmyeon sends the other boy a death glare, “What are you still doing here?”

“I’m eating cake, what does it look like?”

“Ok, let’s just ignore Jongdae for now,” the oldest says “The new guy’s a freshman like Jongin, his name’s Oh Sehun. Met him this morning. He was sitting outside the door, since no one was here to let him in.”

“You weren’t here?”

 “I was at a Student Union meeting and you guys were in class.” Junmyeon says apologetically, “But he seems nice enough, told me not to worry even though I apologized. He stayed here for a bit. Then left before Jongin got here.”

“Wow, so now we’re a family of six then.” Chanyeol whistles.

“And a pet!” Jongdae adds.

“Why do you hurt yourself like this, Jongdae?” Baekhyun laughs at his friend. “Don’t you have to go live in your new dorm, anyways?”

“As a matter of fact, yes.” Jongdae childishly sticks out his tongue, “And since no one appreciates my company here, I’ll be on my way.”

“After you eat half of our food, you mean.”

“Yes, that as well.” Jongdae grabs his satchel with one arm and walks towards the door, “See you later, Jongin. See you never, dorks.” And with a brisk salute, he leaves their dorm, apple in hand.

“It really does feel like he lives here.” Junmyeon scrunches his eyebrows.

Baekhyun sighs, “I miss him already.”

“Same.” Chanyeol replies.

Jongin can only stare at his new dorm mates in amusement, the corners of his mouth lifting.

//

 

“I really want to eat right now.” Lu Han grunts, looking at the sizeable bowl of yellow noodles in front of him.

Tao’s stomach grumbles in response, “It actually smells so nice. _Please_ Yixing, I’m starving.”

Yixing’s answer is a resonate no, the same thing he’s been saying for the past twenty minutes. “They’ll arrive any second now, be polite. Right, Yifan?” he looks back the tallest of the four boys.

Yifan gives a short nod, then looks on sadly at the Chow Mein and his stomach, just like Tao’s, grumbles.

“But maybe a small bite won’t hurt—”

“ _No_.”

How sweet and younger Yixing manages to boss him and Lu Han around is still a mystery to Yifan, he thinks bitterly, trying to eat vicariously through the wafting smell.

“So, um, Lu Han and I were talking about getting together for Christmas,” Yixing tries distracting them, “Make a little holiday for the four of us.”

Tao visibly brightens up, “Yes! We could go to Qingdao, stay at my house, and—”

“I was thinking more along the lines of Beijing, Zitao.” Lu Han interrupts haughtily.

“We _always_ go to Beijing,” Yifan mumbles, “Guangzhou is really pretty during Christmas time.”

“We never go to Changsha!” Yixing speaks up, “We’ve never been there together, I think.”

Lu Han rolls his eyes, “Look, we still have, like four months, alright? We’ll have plenty of time for you to decide Beijing is the best option.”

“I’m not changing my mind, Qingdao—”

There’s a few knocks on the door and all four boys look at each other.

“ _Finally_.” Lu Han pats his own stomach.

Yifan is the first one to stand up and heads to open the door, the three other boys, curious, follow him like obedient little ducklings.

The door opens and Tao peeks at the newcomers. It’s two short boys, with various suitcases around them, looking a tad stunned at the sudden, curious faces.

“ _Nihao_!” Yixing is the first one to speak up with a cheerful smile. “Please come in!” He continues in chinese mandarin.

The other two boys look at each other for a second, confused.

Then one of them, the one with the cat mouth rather than the cat eyes, gives a small, hesitant smile. “…Nihao.” It sounds more like a question than a greeting.

As soon as Yifan realizes, that no, these people do not actually speak Chinese, Lu Han gasps loudly.

“ _Kim Minseok_!” he points at the blond boy with sharp eyes, the one who had kept on quiet.

The boy, Kim Minseok, squints his eyes. “Lu Han?”

“Ugh,” Lu Han dramatically massages his head, “Please tell me this isn’t true.” He mutters in Korean and walks back to their dinner table.

“You two know each other?” Yixing asks, now in Korean.

“No.”

“Sorta.” They say simultaneously.

“Uh, I’ll help you with these.” Yifan remarks, glancing at the suitcases, “Zitao, help me get these inside.” 

Tao nods and goes on to get a blue, heavy looking suitcase off the floor. The boy who had spoken first, the one who is not Kim Minseok, gives him a warm smile that Tao returns.

“My name’s Wu Yifan.” Yifan gives a short bow as the other two boys are ushered inside by Yixing.

They bow back at the tall student.

“Kim Minseok.” Minseok greets politely at Yifan before smiling at Yixing and Tao, who are still by their side. He glances surreptitiously at Lu Han, who is now grumpily munching on the Chow Mein by himself.

“Kim Jongdae.” The other boy says with a bigger smile. “Are you all Chinese?” he asks. His voice is loud and echoes throughout the room.

“Uh, yes.” Yixing adds, his Korean slower than his Chinese, but at least it lacks the still heavy accent Tao still has. Out of all of them, Lu Han’s Korean is the best, followed by Yifan’s.

“We actually thought we were going to have Chinese dorm mates,” Yifan apologizes, scratching the back of his head, “That’s why this goon over here started talking in mandarin.”

“Who even started saying that?” Lu Han frowns from the table, glaring at his friends “The dorm mates are obviously supposed to be random. The only reason _we_ got the same dorm was because we paid the —”

Yixing coughs loudly, “We made Chow Mein. If that’s alright with you. Are you hungry?”

“Starving.” laughs Jongdae.

“Yes, please, let us eat.” Tao whines and goes to follow Lu Han at the table.

“Do you like Chinese food?” Yixing asks Minseok and Jongdae, as the rest of them follow him.

“I love it!” Jongdae cheers picking the seat next to Yixing.

Minseok agrees with a few excited nods.

 “It’s my favorite.”

**//**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you can always hit me up at [chanyoool.tumblr](www.chanyoool.tumblr.com)


	2. in the raging moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again!  
> like i promised, here is chapter two! 
> 
> thank you so much to everyone who read, commented, or gave kudos, like i said, it's greatly appreciated and keeps me inspired!! 
> 
> enjoy!

**{chapter two}**

**-**

 

For a moment, Jongin thinks he’s back at home. The wafting aroma of doenjang and spices effectively wakes him up from his slumber. For a split moment he thinks of his own soft bed, spacious and familiar. Of the band posters messily aligning his walls, and shirts hastily thrown on the floor like any teenager would have. He thinks of his mom, soft and gentle wrinkles on her face and the doenjang soup she would sometimes make before Jongin left for school.

But as he opens his eyes, it’s not band posters that greet him, but a plain white wall. Jongin sits up on his bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. With a soft grunt, he remembers where he is. He looks around his new room; it’s nothing special, his closet is filled with the clothes he had brought previously, the walls are bare, and the only things on his desk are a few papers, a notebook, and his laptop. It’s much too cold for Jongin’s liking.

Even his still unknown roommate’s side doesn’t have much. The bed is made impeccably, though, and the desk is meticulously organized. Jongin stands up, stretching his muscles after a good night sleep, his black shirt hanging low on his shoulders and his pajama pants too baggy, touching the floor.

He looks back at the other side of the room, wondering if his roommate did actually spend the night there. He wouldn’t know, Jongin slept like a log too early into the night. His thoughts are stirred, however, as soon as his stomach rumbles, the smell of soup bringing him back to his senses.

Jongin walks out of the room, not bothering with slippers or socks, and heads to the kitchen, a place he already knows is going to be familiar to him.

It really does smell very much like his mom’s soup, but as Jongin gets near, and a blob of dark hair gets in view, he definitely knows that’s not his _eomma._

The boy is short, but it’s not Junmyeon. His hair’s too dark to be Baekhyun, and definitely not Chanyeol, the giant. It’s also not Sehun, whom he met right before going to bed the night before. He hasn’t seen this boy before and wonders, for a moment, if this is an intruder trying to steal some food from them. Perhaps Jongdae.

He slowly and stealthily walks towards the stranger. It is not Jongdae. It’s a short boy in a blue jumper, polo collar neck peeking out of from it. He’s humming in a soft voice a song that Jongin doesn’t recognize.

“Uh, good morning.” He coughs out, hands behind his back, curiously staring at what the stranger is cooking.

The short boy jumps back at him in surprise, eyes like saucers and thick eyebrows almost touching his hairline.

“H-hi.” He asks in confusion, staring back at Jongin.

“Um, I’m Jongin.” He gives a small bow, not knowing what else to do.

The stranger’s heart shaped lips form a small circle, in recognition. “You’re my new roommate.” He gives a simple smile, “I’m Do Kyungsoo.”

“So _you’re_ Kyungsoo.” Jongin brightens, “Finally nice to meet you.”

Kyungsoo grumbles and looks back at his boiling pot of soup, “I have no idea what Baekhyun and Chanyeol have told you about me, but they probably lied.”

Jongin thinks back at the older boys' comments about Kyungsoo. How he was a grumpy old man, a little anal retentive, and hella violent.

He looks back at Kyungsoo stirring his soup. Jongin has to supress a giggle. The boy looks anything but violent, with his short height, big eyes, and squishy cheeks. The dark shadows under his eyes are a bit unnerving, but nothing out of the ordinary. Jongin doesn’t voice this, instead, he asks. “You’re doing doenjang soup?” he points at the pot.

Kyungsoo nods. “Just arrived this morning, but, uh, I got here too early, so I decided to make some breakfast.”

“My mom makes doenjang soup all the time,” Jongin smiles, reminiscing, “The smell woke me up. It’s nice.”

“It’s still not finished, but, here, try some.” Kyungsoo grabs a spoonful of the soup and directs it at Jongin’s mouth, who lets out an excited sound akin to a puppy, ready to satisfy his hunger.

Before Jongin can actually eat it, though, a loud voice booms throughout the kitchen, making both boys jump.

“Doenjang soup!” Baekhyun slides his way to the pot. “You shouldn’t have, Kyungsoo!”

“I didn’t make it for _you_ ,” the shorter of the boys says, trying to elbow Baekhyun, who steals the spoon from him.

“Oh, really?” Baekhyun asks after he slurps down the spoonful, “It seems you made just enough for everyone.”

“It’s all for me,” Kyungsoo hisses, “And maybe Jongin since he’s not being an annoying twat so early in the morning.”

Baekhyun laughs, too bright and too loud for this hour of the morning, but Jongin thinks that perhaps Baekhyun’s personality never rests, ever bright and blinding.

“It seems you’ve met our very own grump gnome.” Baekhyun says towards Jongin, a single eyebrow raised.

The younger boy laughs, “You say it as if you’re not equally as short.”

“I retract myself,” Kyungsoo quips with a scowl, “No doenjang for Jongin either.”

“W-what?” he splutters.

Baekhyun laughs at Jongin’s dismay, small crinkles by his eyes.

Kyungsoo snorts, “Stop laughing. There’s some weeks’ old cereal in the pantry, you can eat that.”

“Kyungsoo- _yah_ ,” Baekhyun tries giving him a puppy face, wide eyes, pout and everything. Even Jongin thinks he looks a little cute, but Kyungsoo can only deadpan and turn around from them both. “I’m going to wake up Chanyeol and Junmyeon-hyung.”

He adds as a warning, “ _Don’t_ _eat anything,_ I’m serious Byun _.”_

Even against his own threats, Kyungsoo does serve everyone a big bowl of doenjang, including a grateful Baekhyun and Jongin. However, he only lets Junmyeon and Chanyeol get seconds, making Baekhyun brood, even though he still manages to steal some from Chanyeol’s second bowl.

The last one at the breakfast table is Sehun, who looks groggy, with hair sticking up everywhere, defying gravity. Somehow, he still looks incredibly handsome, something Jongin envies with a pout, thinking about the bags under his eyes.

“Hello, new friends,” Sehun yawns, then looks at Kyungsoo, seeing him for the first time, “Oh, hello.”

Kyungsoo gives a little shy wave and says, “Do Kyungsoo.”

“That’s our new maknae,” Chanyeol says in between bites of toast, “You are finally free, Soo.”

“He never did act like the maknae, either way,” replies Junmyeon, “The honor goes to you both.” He points at Chanyeol and Baekhyun, who are sitting side by side, mockingly gasping in unison.

“But hey, all of us are here,” Junmyeon notices, looking around the table at the other five boys. “Maybe it’s time to tell Jongin and Sehun about the dorm’s rules.”

Sehun slurps down his milk, and asks, incredulous, “You have rules?”

“They’re more like guidelines,” Chanyeol says dismissively.

Baekhyun agrees, “Yeah, or like, strongly recommended advices.”

“No. They _are_ rules.” Junmyeon sternly says, then continues, “ _One_ : don’t let me catch you having sex in this dorm. As far as I’m concerned, you’re all celibate.”

“Key words being _don’t let me catch you_ ,” Baekhyun intervenes, “As long as eomma Junmyeon doesn’t know, it’s all good.”

“ _As long as eomma Junmyeon doesn’t know, it’s all good_.” Sehun repeats under his breath with a serious nod. “Got it.”

“Don’t listen to them Sehun, just don’t.” Junmyeon grimaces. He can’t have his new freshmen corrupted by the evil Byun/Park forces.

“Rule number two,” he continues, “When it’s your turn, go grocery shopping. This week, Kyungsoo had to go. Next week it’s my turn. Then Baekhyun’s, then Chanyeol’s, then Kyungsoo’s again, and _then_ it will be Jongin’s and afterwards Sehun’s, alright?”

Both freshmen nod along, obediently looking at the head of the dorm, who is waving his hands around the air intensely. Baekhyun snorts, and even Kyungsoo has to suppress a smirk at the ridiculous sight.

“And rule number _three_. Perhaps the most important one.” Junmyeon says severely, even garnering a serious nod from Chanyeol. “Flush. The motherfucking. Toilet.”

It scares them a little bit, Junmyeon’s face, but both Sehun and Jongin keep on fiercely nodding.

“And that’s all.” Junmyeon finishes with a smile, going back to his short and cute self, “It’s very easy to live here. Not many rules.”

Chanyeol shrugs, “As long as you keep your mess in your room, it’s all fine.”

Kyungsoo fake whispers confidentially at the two younger boys, looking hilariously serious, “Just follow the rules, you _don’t_ want to see eomma Junmyeon mad.”

//

Minseok wipes the droplets of sweat from his face, panting and red-faced. He walks to one of the nearby benches, where he left his bottle of water, and downs all of it one big gulp. The rest of his teammates do the same, all thirsty and with aching muscles.

The training sessions are definitely more intense than they were at his past university, but it’s not anything Minseok can’t handle.  What he _can’t_ handle is his t-shirt drenched in sweat and clinging disgustingly to his back; in a swift motion, Minseok takes it off before he even enters the locker rooms, enjoying the cooling breeze on his warm muscles.

“You shouldn’t do that, you know?” a voice says beside him.

It’s Seunghoon, Minseok notices, a defense player who might be a little clumsy with the ball, but what he lacks in agility, makes up for in speed. Minseok shoots him a quick gummy grin, “I know, but it’s awfully hot today. Just a little breeze won’t hurt.”

Seunghoon laughs and shakes his head, then turns back to whoever he was talking to before. Lu Han.

Minseok inwardly sighs. It’s not like he dislikes Lu Han, he decides, but it’s obvious Lu Han doesn’t like Minseok, and Minseok is not going to spend his time and breath with someone who doesn’t care.

And in a way, he does understand why Lu Han is being an ass. Coach Song had told Minseok on the first day that the captaincy was up for grabs, and Lu Han’s (the apparent front runner for the title) main competition was indeed the new boy, who not only had been the star player at his old school, but played the same position as him, a striker.

So he _does_ understand why Lu Han might be a little cold to him, though he doesn’t particularly like it, what with having to live in the same enclosed space with him for at least a year. Talk about bad luck.

He takes a quick shower along some of the guys, enjoying the water hit his skin and the soap rinse off the dirt and sweat. He changes into a fresh black shirt and jeans before taking his backpack and checking his phone. He still has about an hour and a half before his next class, which gives him plenty of time to go grab some lunch beforehand. He waves goodbye to the few boys that are still hanging around the locker room and briskly heads to university’s café.

With everything being said, Minseok _does_ like his new school. Granted, he left his last school because they were offering him a soccer scholarship in this one and because, even though it had pained Minseok to admit it at first, they indeed had a better quality team.

And Lu Han aside, Minseok’s new dorm mates were particularly nice, from what he could tell, at least. Yixing was very sweet and accommodating, Yifan was strangely funny and Tao, Minseok’s actual roommate, was excitable and cute. And Jongdae, of course, who, even though they were two years apart, had quickly bonded over their confusion at their sometimes weird Chinese dorm mates. It was fun, Minseok found, whenever they started spewing words in mandarin. He could get used it.

He steps into the café and Minseok inhales the deep aroma of coffee. Even though his favorite is a warm cup of cappuccino, Minseok admits he can’t have one with this heat. With reluctance and an inward grunt, he orders an iced latte and a strawberry cream muffin.

Rush hour must’ve passed, probably when Minseok was still at practice, because the place is almost empty save for a group of studying girls in a corner, a stressed-looking man in glasses with a laptop on the table, and a boy calmly sitting at a booth, head facing at the window, no doubt looking at the passersby. Minseok grabs his cold latte and food and chooses the booth in front of the boy.

As soon as he places his butt on the seat, Minseok realizes he’s made a big mistake. The quiet boy, directly in front of him, is of course, none other than Lu Han. The other boy still hasn’t noticed Minseok, though, droopy eyes staring out the window.

He freezes. Should he stay there immobile, and wait until Lu Han inevitably sees him, or should he make a run for it and get out of the café before the other boy notices? What if Lu Han has already noticed him? Is he ignoring Minseok?

Somewhere up above someone hates him, Minseok muses, as Lu Han turns around in that exact moment to sip on his drink and, of freaking course, makes eye contact with Minseok. The other boy splutters in surprise with a cough, then turns pink with embarrassment. It’s soon gone though, that fraction of a second when Lu Han actually looks cute rather than an asshole, and the Chinese boy instead raises a questioning eyebrow at Minseok.

Minseok sighs. This is going to be awkward either way, it’s not like it’s polite to ignore the person who is currently living with you. How will he face Lu Han back at the dorm? And it’s not like Minseok is an incredibly nice person, but he’s at least polite.

With dread on his bones, he slowly, as if it were a torture (and isn’t it?), walks up from his own booth to the one in front of him. Lu Han only stares, and Minseok can tell he’s not particularly enjoying this either.

He sits on the booth with a sigh before taking a sip from his latte. “Hey.”

“Are you following me?” Lu Han furrows his eyebrows in accusation. And of course that’s what he thinks, Minseok rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, because I have nothing better to do than follow _you_ around.”

“Then why are you here?” Lu Han continues.

Minseok points at his drink and the barely eaten pink muffin, “You think I don’t eat?”

“You’re a particularly sarcastic person.” Lu Han replies, but it lacks the biting tone from before, instead he takes a sip from his own drink, a vomit green concoction with a thick straw.

Minseok takes Lu Han’s reply as welcoming enough, gets comfortable on his side of the booth, and then eyes the green drink with distrust, “What the hell is that?”

“Bubble tea,” Lu Han glares, “Mint flavored.”

“That can’t be healthy for you. It doesn’t look natural.” Minseok says in between munches.

“As opposed to what?” Lu Han directly looks at the other boy’s iced drink.

“Iced coffee is not my first choice, mind you, but it can’t be worse than that.” Minseok defends indignantly, “Coffee is a hundred percent natural. And it’s damn good.”

Lu Han shakes his head, “No way. I don’t like coffee, it’s too bitter. Only gramps and sirs drink that.”

“Of course you would think that.” Minseok retorts, loudly sipping the last remnants of his drink.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.” Minseok shrugs. Lu Han’s done with his ugly bubble tea as well, so he asks, “Are you heading towards the dorm?”

Lu Han grunts, “I guess.”

Minseok sighs once again. Of course. “Me too, c’mon we should go.”

Lu Han’s eternal scowl stays on, but doesn’t argue, grabs his backpack, and follows the shorter boy.

The walk back to the dorm is silent, but, surprisingly, they don’t try to kill each other, and Minseok is ok with that.

//

Baekhyun sniffs, “Somehow I think I got the short end of the stick.” He’s sitting on one of the library’s uncomfortable chairs, the ones with no cushion. His butt is getting flatter by the second. Baekhyun has three different word documents opened, one is simply labeled _BBH_ , the other two as _ears_ and _camel_.  They all basically have the same information, but written differently, or at least that’s what he’s trying to do.  

“Shut up, you were the one who wanted to work as a team.” Chanyeol mutters as he looks over several sprawled books, highlighting and writing information that gets passed on to Baekhyun.

“Well, you guys should let me do the research then. One of you can take over the outlines.”

“No way, idiot, you were fighting over the outlines. Now stick to them.” Jongdae glowers from his own laptop, several scientific articles opened. “Besides, I’m editing your rusty ass work anyway, so who really got the short end of the stick here?”

Baekhyun grumbles something unintelligible under his breath but just cracks his aching fingers once, and keeps on writing.

Their library cubicle, in a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, is suddenly quiet. The only sounds are the small clicks of Baekhyun’s rapid typing, Chanyeol’s turning of pages, and Jongdae’s scribbling. The sound of the AC serves as white noise, and it’s such a special moment. It’s peaceful, really, the way the three boys can work in harmony and silence so effectively. The way they can communicate in simple, yet—

“This is so weird.” Baekhyun blurts. “I don’t like it.”

Jongdae whines, “Someone please tell a joke.”

Chanyeol throws his arms in defeat, “Never thought I’d say this, but Baek, please squeal us a song or something.”

“What do you mean _squeal_ , you ungrateful bas—”

The door to their cubicle suddenly opens, a gust of wind breezes in, and three heads turn to look at the newcomer. His wind-swept hair and the smell of food he brings in makes him almost look like an angel.

“I’ve brought lunch, little shits.” It’s definitely not an angel.

It’s Kyungsoo, Baekhyun basks, that’s somehow better. He eyes the bag of Paninis on Kyungsoo’s left hand as he sits next to Jongdae, opposite Chanyeol and Baekhyun. His mouth waters.

“Ooh, what did you bring us?” Chanyeol tries to peek at the bag and sniffs, looking more like a hungry puppy than a college student/grown man.

“One turkey with mozzarella for Jongdae-ssi.” Kyungsoo hands the boy next to him the grilled sandwich. Jongdae has stars in his eyes as he grabs the food. If he weren’t so hungry, he’d probably try to hug the other man.

Kyungsoo turns to look at the other two. “One panini with a single slice of tomato for Chanyeol. And bread with mayonnaise for Baekhyun.”

“ _Kyungsoo-yah_!” Chanyeol laughs, but goes on to grab his food anyway. “It’s salami. No tomato.” He preens, then looks at Baekhyun opening his own bag. Chicken with Alfredo sauce.

“Gya, Kyungsoo, please marry me.” Jongdae says with his mouth brimmed with food.

“Get in line, I asked him first.” Chanyeol hisses. Baekhyun doesn’t even get to say anything, just looks on amused while happily chewing on his food.

Kyungsoo, who is eating his own tuna Panini, almost chokes in laughter. A genuine smile reaches his eyes. “Just thought you needed a break from your essay. How’s it going?”

“ _Awful_. I’m doing all the work, Soo.” Baekhyun cries and points at Chanyeol. “They hate me.”

“Stop complaining or we’ll let you do everything from now on.” Jongdae barks back.

“I still can’t believe you got into trouble so early in the semester.” Kyungsoo quips.

“Lee hates us, that’s why.” Chanyeol broods in front of him.

“Well, to be honest, I would go crazy as well if I had you three in the same class.” Kyungsoo grimaces, “I have enough of you three on a daily basis. I’m aging twice as fast, I can feel an arthritis coming.”

“You’ll age with grace, don’t worry.” Chanyeol dismisses, “Like a fine wine or an old cheese. You’ll get all the noonas, thank us later.”

“I don’t _want_ noonas.” Kyungsoo glowers at them. “I want peace and silence in my own dorm.”

“Fine, _hyungs_.” Chanyeol continues, “Or dongsaengs, if you’re into that kind of stuff.” Kyungsoo grabs the plastic bag next to him and throws it a Chanyeol, whom it hits right in the head.

“Talking about dongsaengs,” Jongdae speaks up loudly, making Kyungsoo wince at the volume, “How did it go with your new dorm mates?”

“They’re nice, actually,” Baekhyun perks up, “And they look like they’re pretty easy to corrupt. Especially Sehun.”

Chanyeol agrees, “We’ll take them under our wing. Make menaces out of them.”

Kyungsoo rubs at his temples, “Please don’t, they look like nice enough kids. Don’t ruin their life.”

“I could take Jongin,” Chanyeol pointedly ignores him, “Since, well, since he looks a little smarter, and Baekhyun can take Sehun since he’s snarkier.”

“I feel like you just insulted me.” Baekhyun sniffs, “but, I’m not going to disagree, I can smell the potential on Sehun from a mile away.”

“Ok,” Kyungsoo replies, tapping his fingers on the table, already exasperated. It hasn’t even been twenty minutes. “When the student imminently overthrows the teacher, don’t come nagging at me to fix your Frankenstein’s monster.”

“Also, I don’t want to be _that_ guy, but,” Baekhyun starts, again, ignoring the youngest of the four, “I can’t be the only who noticed our new maknaes are hot.”

Jongdae speaks up, “Ok, so you’re either jealous or you want to bone them. Either way, you’re a disgusting person.” Kyungsoo high fives him.

“Neither! It’s just not fair, is it?” Baekhyun claims, “Junmyeon is good-looking enough, and now these new cute twinks with model-like measures? What are uglies like us supposed to do?”

“ _Hey_ ,” Chanyeol whines, “I’m not an ugly, I’m the most handsome man at this university.”

Jongdae snorts, “You’re not even the most handsome man in this room and that’s fucking saying something.”

“I am prettier than you Kim Jongdae, you nark.”

“Wait, you’re saying I’m an ugly?” Kyungsoo finally reacts, doubting all choices in life, past and present.

“I mean, they’re just really tall.” Baekhyun shrugs, resting his hand on his chin.

“I’m tall too! I’m taller than them!”

“You know, Chanyeol, your ego is almost as big as your giant-ass ears. Modesty is a virtue.” Baekhyun muses, looking at his best friend with a smirk.

“Is perhaps today Bully Park Chanyeol Day and I wasn’t aware of it?” the tall boy frowns finishing his sandwich in an angry bite. He pats his own in ears in consolation.

“Baekhyun’s just really frustrated because he wants a piece of freshman ass.” Baekhyun glares at Jongdae, but the latter just infectiously laughs, making Kyungsoo chuckle. “What an interesting turn of events.”

“I am _not_ interested, I swear!” Baekhyun squeaks in annoyance, “They’re not even my type, too tall.”

“You literally just praised their height as if they were the second coming of Christ, you liar.” Kyungsoo exclaims.

“Yeah, but I’m not into, like, tall guys,” Baekhyun rolls his eyes, “I like being the big spoon.”

“You can be short and still be the big spoon,” Chanyeol pouts, hair falling into his eyes, meeting Baekhyun’s gaze. “It’s not about height.”

Jongdae gives a lop-sided grin, “Who knew Park Chanyeol was into those kinds of kinks?”

Kyungsoo starts to look a little green at the mention of Park Chanyeol and kinks, so he steers the conversation away from waters he doesn’t want to delve into.  “You should keep working on your essay. Isn’t it due Friday?”

Chanyeol sighs. “Don’t remind us.”

“Well, we could finish today, if someone hurries the fuck up.” Jongdae replies, glaring at Baekhyun. Kyungsoo and him try to clean the table, swipe away crumps of bread, while Baekhyun and Chanyeol, once again, open up their books and laptops.

“What a nice break, it was nice while it lasted.” Baekhyun mutters, opening up his three word documents for the second time that afternoon.

//

Sehun hasn’t seen Lu Han ever since their fateful meeting on Monday. It is now Wednesday and Sehun is slowly withering away.

He’d been keeping an eye on dorm 300, where he knows Lu Han resides. _Not in a stalker way_ , Sehun tells himself. He just occasionally peeps in curiosity at the hallway whenever he hears faraway footsteps. So far he’s seen three different people come out of Lu Han’s dorm, one was a ridiculously tall blond, another one was a short boy with droopy eyes, and the last one was another short boy, this one blond and in soccer kit. Not one of them is Lu Han and Sehun is starting to get broody.

He thinks that maybe Lu Han had just been a fragment of his imagination. A part of his sub-conscious that created a handsome man that helped him find the dorms.

But that morning, as he’s slurping down on his daily bubble tea (today’s is double chocolate) at the university’s café, he catches sight of what could possibly be, yes, Lu Han.

Sehun is sitting at the faraway booth, almost near the corner, so he really can’t make out Lu Han’s exact figure until the boy enters the place. Even then, with such a busy and crowded place, he has to crane his neck to catch a glimpse of the other boy.

Sehun sighs dreamily. Lu Han is wearing a simple tank top that’s a size too big for him, a snapback put on backwards, and tight enough dark jeans. He looks like a dream. _Sehun’s_ dream.

He’s about to call for the other boy, wave at him erratically until garnering his attention, but then he notices.

There, clinging to Lu Han as if he were some sort of _leech_ , there is a much taller boy with dirty blond hair and, if Sehun recalls correctly, wearing a pair of the 2015 Gucci sunglass collection. His limbs are long and slim but defined enough that Sehun can see the slight biceps even from where he is sitting. His blond hair is finely brushed to look swept-away, and a long earring is dangling from his left ear. Suddenly, he nuzzles his head against Lu Han’s shoulder, like a stupid little kitten, and, to Sehun’s surprise, Lu Han indulges him with a pat, a bright smile and even brighter eyes.

Sehun’s head pounds in annoyance. Of course Lu Han would have a model boyfriend, he wouldn’t expect anything else. He glowers at the pair silently, sighing loudly and earning a few glances from other patrons nearby.

Lu Han orders what seems to be the Fruit Festa bubble tea and Sehun wants to cry. Lu Han is obviously the person to enjoy bubble tea. The happy couple leave as quickly as they entered, leaving a moody and down Sehun. His phone vibrates, bouncing on the table. He looks down at the device, hissing like a snake when he sees it’s his alarm. 10 minutes till his next class.

He drags himself upwards and dramatically sighs, finishing his tea with one loud slurp.

Sehun is out of the café in a second, though, as soon as he realizes his next class is pretty much across campus, and if he intends to get on time, he might as well start running now.

He’s never been the athletic type, so it is times like these that Sehun thanks the gods for gracing him with long legs, even if they’re not muscular. He pushes through people, earning a few thrown curses, he even sees his life flash before his eyes as he almost gets run over by a bicycle.

“Hey, Oh Sehun-ah!” he hears someone familiar call his name and turns around whilst running. It’s Jongin, waving at him with a smile, no doubt amused at the whole scene.

“Jongin-ah! See you at the dorm!” Sehun calls out, resuming his race against time. Jongin laughs and gives him a thumbs up.

He’s sweaty and red by the time he arrives at the lecture. By some sort of lucky strike, he gets there at the same time as the Professor, who nods at him before going in after Sehun. The lecture hall is almost full, but Sehun manages to find a seat near the front, still trying to catch his breath.

He can see the girl sitting next to him give him a glance over, when he looks back at her, she just gives a tight smile and turns to face the front. Sehun tries to hide his frown, but probably fails.

He hears a faint chuckle from the seat behind. Then a smooth, light voice, “Do you need a tissue?”

He turns around slowly, trying not to make much noise since the Professor has started talking. Sehun almost chokes on air as he comes face to face with the person whispering to him.

It’s Lu Han’s boyfriend. He’s looking at Sehun with a small delicate smile, expecting an answer. When Sehun doesn’t give him one, too stunned at the other boy, he continues.

“To clean your juices.” He gestures with his hand.

That effectively breaks Sehun out of his reverie. _Juices?_ He looks back at the boy curiously. Oh.

“Sure. Thanks.” He says as the other boy takes a tiny pack of Kleenex tissues out of his backpack and silently passes it to him.

Sehun grabs one and uses it to wipe away the remaining sweat from his forehead—his juices— he can’t help but silently giggle at the word. He doesn’t look back during the remaining 50 minutes of the lesson.

When the lecture is over, though, and everyone is gathering their stuff ready to leave, he thinks he ought to say something to the other boy, a thank you or something.

He turns around, carefully, and sees the boy looking over his notes before closing his notebook. The notes, Sehun glimpses, are _not_ in Korean, but Sehun doesn’t know enough about linguistics to point out what the weird characters actually are. Instead, he coughs softly, making the other boy aware of his presence.

“Um, thank you. For the tissue, I mean.” He starts.

The other boy smiles, once again, with that smile that reminds Sehun of a cat so much. “You’re welcome. You were really wet.” He says in a somewhat familiar accent. It sounds like…Lu Han’s accent. Except the boy’s is definitely stronger and more punctuated. He realizes his notes must’ve been in Chinese as well.

He’s about to ask about his accent, a déja-vu to Monday’s conversation with Lu Han, but before he can do so, the boy speaks out, eyes glimmering.

“Are those Ray-Ban sunglasses?” he asks, directly looking at Sehun’s sunglasses, which are dangled from his shirt.

“Yeah.” Sehun stutters for a moment, remembering his early discovery at the café. “And you have Gucci, right?” he points at the glasses on the other student’s hand.

The boy yips. _Yips_. “Oh. You look designer brands?”

“Yeah.” He’s not the most knowledgeable person on the topic, but he can stand his ground thanks to those countless hours of VOGUE UK he’s read in his spare time, trying to both, learn some fashion tips and improve his English. “I’m Sehun, by the way.”

“Tao.” The stranger smiles back. And honestly, he’s so adorable, Sehun can’t even be mad at him anymore, not when he calls sweat _juice_ and gives out tissues to strangers.

Tao stands up, and both boys walk together to the exit. “I can tell, for example,” Sehun continues, “that you’re wearing almost exclusively a Gucci wardrobe. Except for the shoes. Those are…” he ponders for a moment. “Buscemi?”

Tao laughs delightedly, “Valentino. But these are fairly new, and they do look like Buscemi’s last collection, so I’ll give you the point. You’re really good.”

Sehun preens as they pass through the courtyard. It’s definitely a change of pace from when he was running like a wild animal just an hour ago. “Where are you headed, Tao?”

“To my dorm, that was my last class.”

“Mine too. I’m heading to the A dorms.”

“Oh, I’m there too! The third floor!”

The third floor as well? Soon, Sehun turns suspicious. “Same! How come we’ve never seen each other before? I’m at 308.” He replies surreptitiously.

Tao nods, “I’m in 300.”

A-ha! So Tao _is_ rooming with Lu Han. Sometimes Sehun thinks he’s a sly and cunning person, although most people like to point out that this is not true and that he’s actually very blunt. Sehun doesn’t believe them.

He blurts out, “So you know Lu Han?”

He _should_ start listening to other people.

“You know Lu-ge?” Tao jumps.

No, Sehun doesn’t know Lu-ge, he knows _Lu Han_ , and even so, that’s not really true either, he’s just met the older boy once. And then fell in love with him. Lu-ge probably means boyfriend in Chinese or something, so he’s not really ready to disclose this information to Tao. “Ah, sure, he’s our neighbor. I mean, I suppose you are too.”

“I haven’t met any neighbors,” Tao wonders, then frowns “Actually, I haven’t met many people other than my dorm mates.”

“Oh, well, you’ve met me.” Sehun answers. It’s only the third day of the semester, but it’s never, ever too early to start making friends. And if anyone’s a people’s person, it’s Sehun. “We’re friends now.”

The look on Tao’s face radiates so much glee and surprise that Sehun can’t help but smile back with as much force. He’s known Tao for approximately an hour and a half, in which most of that time they didn’t even talk to each other, but Sehun can already tell that Tao is the kind of person that makes you feel light and careless. He likes that kind of person.

“Ok, Oh Sehun, we’re friends now.” Tao laughs, and, just as he had been clinging on to Lu Han earlier on, Tao wraps Sehun’s arm with his own, walking side by side. It catches him off guard a little bit, he seldom finds people as physically affectionate as himself, especially with strangers, but he’d be lying if he didn’t say he enjoys it a lot.

“C’mon, Tao.” He smiles and tightens their grip, “I’ll show you my dorm.”

//

Junmyeon purses his lips and gently taps the table with his fingers in exasperation. He looks at the papers in his hands, quickly going through them again for the fifth time that afternoon, even though there’s really not much to check. There was no addendum this time around by the board of directors so Junmyeon’s original document had stayed intact.

Which was good news for his new project, a proposition for a broader variety of community service groups for those students who wanted to. However, it also meant that Junmyeon had been stuck with nothing to do for past hour, seeing as there was nothing to else do for him. He had tried helping other people, in whatever it was they were doing, but everyone eventually brushed him off. And it wasn’t like he could talk to someone who was _not_ doing anything, not when everyone in that room had the personality of a wet piece of toast. He looks at the wall clock. Ten more minutes.

He sighs. Sometimes he really misses his loud dorm mates. They are of extreme annoyance most of the time, sure, and sometimes they get a bit mean, but lord knows they’re ten times better than anyone part of the Student Union because, somehow, everyone with a stick up their ass managed join. It wasn’t like Junmyeon was particularly wild or loud, but even he had his limits and it wouldn’t be of harm if anyone cracked a joke once in a while or went out for drinks once a week. Hell, once a _year_.

“Pshht.” He hears someone call.

Junmyeon gets startled, jumping up in surprise at the sudden noise. He turns around and sees a tall, tall boy in a black baggy sweatshirt, a different enough outfit from the conglomeration of polo shirts and khaki pants that Junmyeon is so used to. He smiles despite himself. Ok, so not _everyone_ has a stick up his ass.

“What’s up, Yifan?” he whispers conspirationally back.

“I’m leaving,” Yifan shrugs with yawn, “Wanna come?”

Junmyeon looks back the clock, then raises an eyebrow in question, “It’s not seven yet.”

Yifan frowns, “No one’s doing anything anymore. _You_ weren’t doing anything for the whole hour.”

“Oh, so you were very intent as to what I was doing, weren’t you?” Junmyeon replies back, but there’s no bite to his words.

“Well, it was hard not to,” Yifan says, amused, now leaning on the table in front of Junmyeon, who is still sitting, “You wouldn’t stop sighing and looking depressed every five minutes.”

Junmyeon scratches the back of his head, embarrassed, “It was a just a very uneventful hour.”

The taller boy smiles with a nod, “That’s why I’m telling you, _let’s go_. It’s going to get dark soon.”

Junmyeon looks back at his fellow members, at Sooyoung and Jaehyun, who are the closest to him. No one glances at them.

Junmyeon tries to repress a smile, “Ok.” He whispers, grabs his papers and stuffs them into his satchel quickly. They slowly scurry away silently. Or they try to, at least, but Yifan stubs his foot with a small table near the exit, wincing with a loud noise. Sooyoung looks up and raises an eyebrow in question, no doubt judging the pair of fourth years.

“Um, see you next week!” Junmyeon calls out with an awkward smile before grabbing Yifan by the sleeve and dragging him away before they can embarrass themselves some more.

“Well, there’s that.” Yifan grimaces as soon as they’re out of the Student Union meeting room (which is no more than a smelly, forgotten classroom on the old part of campus).

Junmyeon snorts, finally laughing out loud, eyes becoming no more than tiny slits. “At least we’re out of there.”

“Seriously, these obligatory meetings are such a waste of time. To be honest, I spent the last half hour playing angry birds on my phone, and no one noticed.” Yifan scowls.

Junmyeon stretches his almost numb limbs. He can’t argue with that. They start their trek towards their dorms, as it’s already getting dark outside, like Yifan had mentioned.

“It’s eerily quiet.” Junmyeon muses, looking around the benches and green areas. There’s no one in sight.

“Maybe because everyone else but us is smart and is already at their dorms, like they should.” He yawns again, wide and loud.

Junmyeon hums and they share a relatively comfortable silence, the soft breeze keeps them company and the cicadas start their nightly song. He steals a glance at the other boy and Junmyeon suddenly feels very small next to Yifan. It’s not only that Yifan _is_ actually very tall, or that Junmyeon _is_ actually very short, but side by side it might look quite comical to an onlooker, with Yifan’s long and slow strides and Junmyeon trying to keep up with shorter, quicker steps.

He’s about to mention what a quirky sight they must be, when, Yifan stops cold, right next to some benches and shrubs.

He looks back at the other boy, whose eyes are wide like saucers and is looking back and forth. “Y-Yifan?” Junmyeon calls out, definitely very creeped out by his acquaintance.

“Shh,” Yifan’s expression clouds for a moment, “Do you hear that?”

The breeze is getting stronger, and Junmyeon shivers at the contact against his skin, the small goosebumps creeping up his body. Yifan tiptoes towards the shrubbery with cautious steps, and Junmyeon can’t help but follow him just as slowly.

And then he hears it. 

It’s a soft tinnitus at first, barely reaching his ears. But then it gets clearer and louder and Junmyeon’s eyes widen in recognition, “Is it…?”

“I think so,” Yifan’s brow furrows. He walks into the shrubs, ready to look for whatever it is he’s looking for, when his long and clumsy legs get tangled and Yifan falls face flat onto the dirt. Junmyeon is not surprised one bit.

He sighs and gets even closer to the shrubs, ready to help the other boy. “Yifan, are you ok?”

When Yifan doesn’t answer, Junmyeon gets really creeped out, already imagining the unconscious body of Yifan sprawled on the floor, or worse yet, his dead corpse. He really doesn’t have time to be calling an ambulance.

“Yifan?” he calls again, more urgently this time, “Oh, my god, Yifan, you didn’t die, did—”

“Junmyeon, look!” Yifan exclaims from the floor.

“What, what? Did you open your skull? I know first—”

“No, come here and _look_.”

Junmyeon takes the last steps towards the shrubs and cranes his neck at the sight. It’s a pretty dumb sight, Junmyeon thinks, with obnoxiously tall Yifan sprawled onto the grass, legs like a starfish and butt up in the air. “ _What_ , you doofus?”

Before Yifan can answer, Junmyeon sees a white bundle cradled in between Yifan’s huge hands.

“Is that what I think it is?” Junmyeon is starting to feel the imminent effect of a headache.

“Yeah.” Yifan smiles without actually looking up at Junmyeon, still staring at the tiny white ball of fur in his hands.

The white ball of fur meows.

“It said hi to you!” Yifan chuckles, finally looking up.

Junmyeon’s heart clenches at the sight. He’s a very weak person, such a tender heart, his eomma had said not too long ago. He goes over the bushes and crouches to where Yifan and the kitten are slumped.

“Hey, there little guy.” He says in a ridiculous high voice. He’s glad Yifan doesn’t mention it. Junmyeon knows he’s not a particularly cool person, but he thinks there might still be bit of dignity left to maintain.

The kitten meows again, this time, directly at Junmyeon. Its little pink nose stretching towards him, sniffing the newcomer. “Oh!” he squeals at the cat. Dignity be damned.

He looks back at Yifan. “Was it just here? In the bushes?”

Yifan nods, nuzzling his face against the animal. Junmyeon hopes it doesn’t have flees or something. “Yeah, its meowing was the noise I heard earlier.”

“Wow, such a lucky guy.” Junmyeon says to the cat, “You could’ve been crushed by this giant over here.”

Yifan looks stricken.

“Wait, let me hold it.” Junmyeon stretches his arms to cradle the small animal. He’s a little scared the kitten’s going to go wild and scratch his eyes out, but it looks so small and cute that he’s willing to try.

Yifan holds it out for him and Junmyeon grabs it as gently as he can, scared of crushing it, seeing as the kitten really is too small, even compared to Junmyeon’s hands. It doesn’t scratch him, or bite him, or anything of the sort, instead, it starts purring.

Junmyeon’s cheeks hurt too much from his wide smile. “It likes me, I think.”

Yifan smiles softly, “What’s it doing on campus, though? It’s obviously a newborn, how could he have strayed so far away?”

“I think it’s hungry, Yifan.” Junmyeon frowns, “It must’ve been separated from its mom and brothers.”

Yifan’s cellphone suddenly rings, scaring both men and the cat, who trembles and tries to get away. Junmyeon holds on to it, and shushes him with a scratch behind the ears.

“Yeah?” Yifan coughs into his cellphone, looking way too guilty. Junmyeon snickers at him.

“Yeah, I’ll be there in a few, Lu Han.” He rolls his eyes, “Just got caught up. You know how these meetings are.”

Junmyeon can hear a loud voice from the other side of the line, even from where he’s standing. He had a few classes with Lu Han a couple of years ago, when they were freshmen and they had to take the obligatory core courses. If he’s anything like he was back then, as intense as a ball of fire, Junmyeon feels a little bad for Yifan, who’s also head of dorm. Not like Junmyeon has much room to talk.

“Yeah, yeah, just tell Yixing to put the dumplings in the microwave.” Yifan pauses. “I _know_ they taste like plastic, you idiot, but we really can’t fly your mom here just to cook them, can we?”

“No, we _can’t_.” Yifan massages his temples, Junmyeon thinks he might be seeing a reflection of himself on Yifan, “Listen, I gotta go, just make the damn dumplings, Lu Han. _Zài Jiàn_.”

He ends the call and pockets his cellphone. “Children.” Yifan rolls his eyes.

Junmyeon bursts out laughing because he hasn’t heard a single thing more relatable than that in a while. The kitten meows.

“So, um, what are we doing with him?” Yifan teeters.

“We can’t…we can’t leave him here, right?” Junmyeon winces, “Its hungry and it’s cold out here and, you know.”

Yifan sighs, “You know it’s against the rules to have animals in the dorms, right?”

“I _know_ that. I’m head of dorm, I’m part of the Student Union, I’m in charge of implementing the rules. I _know_ these things.” Junmyeon glares, still holding on to the cat, who has now gone limp, trying to make itself into a ball atop Junmyeon’s warm hands and sleep. “It’ll just be tonight, ok? Just to get some food in its belly.” He finishes confidently.

Yifan purses his lips, but it’s not like he ever planned on saying no, if anything, he’d thought he would be the one to convince Junmyeon. “Ok.” He nods. “But who’s gonna keep him tonight? And what should we give him to eat, I don’t have cat food.”

“Do you think we can give him some beef? I have some leftovers from yesterday.” Junmyeon replies.

“I’m guessing that’ll be fine.” The other boys nods, “I can keep it in my dorm tonight. Unless you think it’ll be better at yours?”

Junmyeon ponders, then shakes his head, “No, keep him. Not that my dorm mates are gonna tell on me, but they can get a bit loud and run their mouths by accident. I think a kitten would be too much for their simple brains.”

Yifan laughs, “I’m not telling mine either. I room with Yixing so he’ll keep his mouth shut, don’t worry.”

“Here, we’ll put him in my satchel for the time being,” Junmyeon says, zipping up his bag and gently placing the kitten there, who meows indignantly. He leaves the zipper open and tries not to tousle too much. Fortunately the kitten doesn’t move and tries to go back to sleep.

They start walking back to the dorms. This time, more briskly. The sky has turned completely dark now, and the air is getting colder by the second.

“Him?” Yifan raises an eyebrow at Junmyeon.

“I checked. It’s a he.” Junmyeon pats his satchel.

“Hmm.” Yifan hums, “Let’s name him… _Whiskers_.” He says the name in English.

“ _No_.” Junmyeon splutters, “You can barely see his whiskers, they’re still so small.”

Yifan pouts. A pout shouldn’t look that adorable on a grown man taller than most Korean buildings and a voice deeper than a six feet hole. Yifan works it.

“What about _Myeon_?” Junmyeon tries, “He’s a handsome little fella.”

“Forget it.” Yifan lightly punches his shoulder, “It sounds like a type of ramen.”

“ _Hey_.”

“What about _Monster_?” he says again in English.

“He looks anything but a monster, he’s so cute.” The shorter of the boys squeaks, then speaks up again, “What about _Lucky_? It’s cute, like him, and it’s in English, like you so obviously want.”

“Lucky?” Yifan raises an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Junmyeon smiles, “And he’s lucky, right? He found us.”

“I suppose so.” Yifan breaks out into a smile.

They finally—finally!— arrive at the dorms, where Junmyeon passes his satchel on to Yifan.

“I’ll go get the beef, please wait here.” Junmyeon says before bolting to his room, and leaving Yifan and Lucky waiting by dorm 300’s door.

When he gets there, he finds all of his dorm mates in the living room. Sehun and Jongin are playing some sort of shooter game on Jongin’s PS4, laying on the floor, while Kyungsoo looks on, bored and being squished between a sleeping Chanyeol and Baekhyun, who’s yelling at the two players to do a better job at whatever it is they’re playing. Like always, he’s taking up two thirds of the couch, leaving little space for Kyungsoo and a much too big Chanyeol. They don’t seem to mind.

Junmyeon smiles and mutters a quick _hello_ at the other boys, before going straight to the kitchen. He’s mostly ignored save for Kyungsoo’s tired wave. He grabs the leftover meat that’s placed on a small bowl, and recalls how Chanyeol had said he wanted it for a stew. Junmyeon thinks a starving Lucky is more important than an annoying dongsaeng.

He hides it underneath his jacket as best as he can, it’s not like his dorm mates are the brightest of people.

He goes back and tries to leave unnoticed. It almost works.

“Hey, hyung, where are you going?” Baekhyun shouts.

Junmyeon pauses, hand on the doorknob, and before the rest of the vultures can start pestering him, he decides to bolt.

He arrives to Yifan, half panting, and shoves the bowl into his hands. “Here, quick.”

Yifan takes the bowl, curiously glancing at Junmyeon, “Is everything fine?”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry,” he nods, “I just have to get back inside before they come out and start asking questions.”

“Ok, well,” Yifan adds, “Say goodnight to Junmyeon-hyung, Lucky.”

The cat snores.

Junmyeon laughs and replies either way. “Good night, Lucky, don’t let Lu Han eat you or Yifan step on you.”

After saying goodbye to Yifan, Junmyeon finally walks back to his own dorm again, hoping that his dorm mates will not ask questions.

God is never on his side, it seems.

“Was that Wu Yifan?” Kyungsoo blurts. Sehun and Jongin are still ignoring him, too engrossed in their game. Chanyeol is still asleep. Only Baekhyun and Kyungsoo, the traitor, are inquiring.

Junmyeon glares. “You were spying on me?”

“Just a little a peek.” Baekhyun smiles.

Junmyeon rolls his eyes. “Yeah, it was. We came back from our meeting and I forgot to give him something.”

“Hm, interesting,” Baekhyun says, feigning ignorance.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Junmyeon haughtily replies to his juniors “I’m really tired, so I want to go to bed. Don’t make too much noise.”

He walks to his room, indeed feeling very tired, but before he closes the door, he can clearly hear Baekhyun whisper to Kyungsoo, “Do you think he’s gonna wank to Yifan?”

Junmyeon grits his teeth; a vein might be pulsing.

“Probably.”

//

  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol i hate myself too for those meta-references. 
> 
> i hope u enjoyed reading this chapter. kudos and comments are amazing! 
> 
> chapter three is coming next week!


	3. drip-drop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi again :)  
> another week, another chapter! huge thank you to everyone who has commented or given kudos, you're all so, so beautiful <3  
> also, a massive thank you to [sam](http://whatiskanye.tumblr.com), who's been beta-ing these new chapters: i love you, i love you, thank you so much!  
> now, without further ado, here is chapter three! please enjoy!

**{chapter three}**

 

“No, no, don’t use that filter, it makes us look ugly.” Tao remarks, taking the cellphone from Sehun’s hand.

“You can’t fix what’s already there, Tao.” Sehun sings and sticks out his tongue, but lets the other boy roam freely through the Instagram filters.

“You don’t really mean that. We all know who the ugly one of this friendship is.” Tao snaps back with no bite, “But don’t worry, there’s nothing a little bit of makeup, good lightning, and a filter can’t fix.”

Sehun laughs brightly, mainly because he knows how true that statement is. He stretches his legs and yawns while his friend mutters to himself in thought. Sehun understands, choosing the perfect selca is a pain in the ass.  They’re sprawled in the biggest couch there is at Sehun’s dorm, which isn’t actually that big, but they do what they can.

“You’ve been at it for thirty minutes now,” Chanyeol says from his seat at the dinner table, mouth full of froot loops as a stream of milk drips from his mouth. Tao grimaces in disgust. “How can you still be taking so many selcas?”

“It’s an art form, you wouldn’t understand.” Sehun sniffs, “That’s why _we_ have over 50k followers and _you_ have, like, 30.”

“Well, I’m more handsome in real life, so who’s the real winner here?” Chanyeol mutters and goes back to his cereal in defeat.

“You sure like to delude yourself, don’t you?” Kyungsoo arrives, a bundle of clean clothes under his arm.

“You went to the laundromat without me, Soo?” Chanyeol whines, “Now I’ll have to go with Junmyeon.”

“I _did_ tell you. I asked everyone this morning if they wanted come with me. Literally every single one of you ignored me. Serves you right.” Kyungsoo frowns, then looks on at the pair of younger boys still making duck faces at the camera, “What are _they_ doing?”

“God only knows.” Chanyeol stares back, then shrugs “But I like Tao, he’s so cute, maybe we can ask Yifan to trade him for our Sehun.”

Kyungsoo shakes his head, “Why would he accept?”

“We can _try_.” Chanyeol finishes his bowl of cereal, “By the way, have you seen Baekhyun? I haven’t seen him since this morning. I need to ask him if we’re still up for tteokbokki this afternoon.”

“Tteokbokki?” Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow. He starts folding his fresh clothes in small, compact squares. “It’s a _Monday_ , why are you going for tteokbokki?”

Chanyeol stares at Kyungsoo as if he were dumb. Maybe he is. “ _Because_ it’s a Monday, Kyungsoo. Sindang-dong Alley will be empty because no one eats tteokbokki on a Monday.”

“Of course, silly me.” Kyungsoo sighs. “Sometimes I forget you’re one-of-a-kind genius.”

“It’s just me and Baek,” Chanyeol eyes Kyungsoo, “You can come if you want.”

“It’s fine,” Kyungsoo shrugs him off, “I think I’m going to get the flu or something, haven’t been feeling so well since yesterday. But, um, if you can manage to bring me some patbingsu without melting, I will officially declare you my favorite over Baekhyun.”

Chanyeol grins widely, “Deal!”

“Although, you shouldn’t be eating ice if you’re going to get sick, Kyungsoo-yah.”

“Let me go wild for once, Park Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo frowns making his friend almost double in laughter.

Kyungsoo finishes folding his clothes (or really, his large collection of big sweaters) and says before taking off to his room, “Also, please take the grocery list to Junmyeon-hyung, he’s not coming back to the dorms after his last class and he forgot it. He’ll meet you in the Student Union classroom.”

“What? Why me?”

“Because you’re not doing anything.” Kyungsoo says with finality, “Do it quickly.”

Chanyeol frowns at the small retreating figure of his friend. He sighs and then looks back at Sehun and Tao, who are now giggling at probably some stupid video on Youtube.

“Hey, Sehun-ah.” Chanyeol gets an idea.

The brunet looks up, single eyebrow raised at the older boy’s voice. “What?”

Chanyeol wants to smack the brat’s head. Instead, he says, “Kyungsoo needs you to take this list to Junmyeon. It’s urgent.”

“Why don’t _you_ take it? I’m busy.”

“You are not busy, you’re being useless around here. And you’re the maknae and I’m your hyung so run along, boy.”

Sehun rolls his eyes, “I don’t think that’s how it works.”

“Just go, don’t be a brat. He’s at the Student Union building.”

“I don’t think so, I’m fairly—”

“Oh, we can go, Sehun! Yifan’s there as well, we can go say hi.” Tao interrupts with a grin.

Sehun looks back at his friend and pouts. “Fine.” He looks back at Chanyeol, “But I’m not doing it because I’m the _maknae_ , I’m doing it because I want to.”

Chanyeol grins. Inwardly, though, he thinks he really ought to make that exchange proposition to Yifan.

//

“You’ll like Yifan, Sehun,” Tao says as they make their way to meet with Junmyeon, “He’s really nice. And good-looking. He’s friends with Lu Han as well.” He smirks that last part.

“I said I was sorry!” Sehun exclaims too quickly.

“You don’t have to be sorry,” the blond boy snickers, “I just thought it was hilarious.”

“Yeah, yeah, laugh at my demise and crippling jealousy.” Sehun rolls his eyes, cheeks blushing as he recalls asking Tao about his boyfriend Lu Han. Or his not-boyfriend in this case. Tao laughed at him for ages.

“I think it’s cute, really,” Tao continues, “But I would never go for Lu-ge.”

“Why not? He’s, like, smoking hot.” Frowns Sehun. “Not that I want you to like him, cus he’ll never notice me if you do.”

Tao laughs and pats the other’s head, “Cus he’s my gege…my _hyung_! I’ve known him since he picked his nose, so no thank you. And, I _know_ for a fact that he wouldn’t date me. He told me so. Said I was too young and skinny.”

“Wow, that makes _me_ feel so great, thank you, Tao.”

“B-but I bet he’ll date you, if you ask him” Tao splutters, then ponders and adds, “I still think it’s weird. That you like, Lu-ge.”

Sehun sighs, “Love is something that doesn’t need understanding, Tao. Love simply just _is_. Don’t question it.”

“I’m still too young to think about those things,” Tao shrugs, “I just need clothes. And sunglasses. And, like, maybe, possibly, graduate.”

Sehun thinks that Tao is possibly either an idiot, or a genius. Could be both.

They arrive at the building, an old thing with decaying paint and moldy surroundings. Sehun and Tao pull their noses in disgust.

“Junmyeon-hyung!” Tao yells at the top of his lungs, hands serving as an improvised speaker, “Junmyeon-hyung!” He shouts and shouts even though he hasn’t even met _Junmyeon-hyung_.

Sehun’s eyes widen. “What are you doing, Tao?”

“Well I ain’t going inside.” He turns his head to look at his friend, as if suddenly Sehun has grown three heads. “Junmyeon-hyung, please come out!”

“He’s not gonna hear us,” Sehun takes out his cellphone, “I’ll just text him.”

He writes a short text to Junmyeon telling him to _come out of that rusty place before me and Tao get a venereal disease,_ but before he can press send, a disheveled and slightly paranoid Junmyeon comes out.

“Is someone calling for me?” Junmyeon says out of breath.

“I can’t believe that actually worked,” Sehun mutters before walking cautiously towards the older boy. “Here.” He hands out the wrinkled grocery list. “Hope you don’t mind, but I had to rip the corner. For my gum.”

“Thank you, I guess.” Junmyeon looks at the ripped and wrinkled piece of paper.

“Hello, Junmyeon-hyung. I’m Zitao.” Tao gives that cute cat smile Sehun has come to associate with him.

Junmyeon gives a shy little nod. “Kim Junmyeon.”

“Have you seen Yifan-ge, Junmyeon-hyung?” Tao asks brightly, “He comes here all the time, right?”

“Wu Yifan?” Junmyeon stutters. “Oh. Yes. But he left early today. He…needed to attend some…important i-issues.”

“Stupid Yifan.” Tao whines, “You’ll just have to meet him later, then, Sehun.”

“It’s ok, we’re basically neighbors.” Sehun pats his friend’s shoulder. “We’ll see each other around, I’m sure.”

Junmyeon interrupts them. “Sehun-ah, did Kyungsoo add anything to the list? Did he tell you anything?”

Sehun pulls a face. “Kyungsoo-hyung didn’t give it to me, it was Chanyeol.”

“Ok, I see. It’s just a little short.” Junmyeon sighs, “Do you want anything specific Sehun-ah?”

“Me? Nah.” Sehun dismisses, “Just my Chocolate Chex cereal that’s already on the list.”

Junmyeon hums, “Do _you_ want anything, Zitao?”

Tao blinks at the other boy, eyes wide. “Me? No, no, Junmyeon-hyung.” Then adds shyly, “Will you be going alone?”

Junmyeon looks up with a smile, “Yeah, each of us gets a turn each week. I go this Monday.”

“Oh. My dorm mates and I will go each week. All of us, unless someone can’t.” Tao replies with interest, “It must be lonely going by yourself.”

Sehun can see Tao’s brain wheels start whirring and he doesn’t like it one bit. Not one bit.

“Not lonely. Well, I guess a little, but the hard part is to bring the all the groceries back by yourself.”

No, no, no.

Sehun interrupts with a loud cough. “Um, yeah, well, good luck, Junmyeon. Tao, c’mon, we have to—”

“We can go with you, if you want.” Tao finally says.

_Of course._

It’s now Junmyeon’s turn to blink at the taller boy. When he smiles, his eyes look like small crescent moons. “You don’t have to.”

“Yup.” Sehun says forcefully even though he knows it’s a lost cause. “Hear that, Tao? We don’t have to.”

Tao finally looks back at Sehun, “It’ll be like a field trip.”

And that’s how Sehun ends up riding bus 150 with Tao and Junmyeon en route to the closest Hankook supermarket.

//

Lu Han slurps down on his coffee, the bittersweet taste filling his palate.

It’s…not as bad as he thought it’d be. It’s a far cry from his usual sweet and milky beverage, but it’s not bad at all.

Today there was no football practice due the weather, however, Lu Han had still managed to get one hour of individual practice on the pitch before the rain starts pouring. After a quick shower, he made his way back to his dorm not before stopping at the school’s café, of course.

He fumbles a bit with his jangling keys as he struggles to open the door, but finally makes it inside.

He can now hear the heavy rain hit the pavement from outside; good thing he managed to get back just in time before getting caught in that mess.

Lu Han can hear the sound of TV coming from the living room, and, as he steps inside, he finds two of his dorm mates in the middle of a FIFA game.

“Hey, Lu Han!” Jongdae calls out to him cheerfully, never taking his eyes off the screen.

Minseok just gives him a nod and a small glance his way. Lu Han returns it without much enthusiasm.

He goes into his room and leaves his backpack on the still unmade bed. Not much use now, he’ll be going to sleep in a couple of hours either way.

When he goes back to the living room, he stands next to the couch where the two other boys are sitting and gives out an awkward cough, “Where are the rest of the guys?”

Jongdae, still loud (and that’s something Lu Han realizes he has to get used to) starts recounting “Yixing is out on a class at the hospital, said he’d be back in two hours. Poor sod.”

“And um, Yifan’s in his room, but…I wouldn’t bother him if I were you.”

Lu Han raises an eyebrow in question, “Why not?”

Jongdae coughs, attention still mostly on the game. Minseok hasn’t uttered a word, but Lu Han knows he’s listening if the way he snorts is anything to go by.

“He just came in here, told us not to bother him, then went to his bedroom and locked it. And now there’s weird music coming from his room. I don’t want to know what he’s doing, if I’m honest.”

“Disgusting, Yifan” Lu Han mutters before finally sitting down on Yixing’s bean bag that’s sprawled on next to the couch. “And Zitao?”

Jongdae _pffts_ , “He’s with Sehun. Like always.”

“Who’s Sehun?”

“What do you mean who’s Sehun? He’s been—”

“Ok, fine, whatever. Hey, Minseok.” Lu Han starts, attention now on his number one nemesis/dorm mate.

Minseok turns to face him, somehow _still_ able to focus on the game at the same time and somehow _still_ beating Jongdae. It’s infuriating.

“Look what I got.” Lu Han continues, showing off his halfway gone beverage.

“Iced coffee?” Minseok raises an eyebrow in question.

Lu Han shrugs, “Just wanted to show you it’s not a big deal. It’s just coffee.”

Minseok, for some reason, smirks instead. “And did you like it?”

Lu Han pauses for a moment, as if to actually asses the beverage, and then, it finally dawns on him.

“Yes.” He frowns, “I didn’t think I would, and it took some sips to get used to it, but…I like it,”

He notices Minseok’s annoying smirk. “That’s completely not the point.” Lu Han snaps.

“It was to me.” Minseok sings and goes back to his game, laughing as he finally scores the fifth goal against Jongdae.

“No! That is not fair!” Jongdae screeches and throws his game control to the side. “I give up, hyung! You’re impossible.”

“You should’ve just let me score at least once,” the younger man continues with a frown, “Now I don’t want to play anymore. I’m going to go make me a sandwich, goodbye forever Minseok.”

Minseok just laughs good-naturedly, showing off his gummy smile and rounded cheeks even more. He takes a quick glance at Lu Han.

“Are you any good?” he finally asks.

To be honest, Lu Han is most offended. He did _not_ spend his whole summer playing FIFA just to be called _good_.

“I’m positive I can beat your ass if that’s what you mean.” Lu Han answers taking Jongdae’s place on the couch. “Just as much as I’m sure I can do it on the real pitch.”

“Someone’s confident.” Minseok snorts, “Let me teach you a thing or two about football. Maybe it’ll bring you down a notch.”

When Jongdae returns, sandwich in hand, it is to find his two elders screaming (and maybe even sweating a little) at the screen and each other. The score is 4-4.

“ _Shit._.” Jongdae mutters just a little bit scared.

 

//

“Ooh, and what’s this?”

“Those are Saeoo Snacks.”

“Are they really shrimp?”

“No, it’s just shrimp-flavored, they’re quite popular here.”

“I’ve never tried them.” Tao replies, still eyeing the offending bag.

“We’ll get them!” Suho takes the small bag of chips and puts them in their shopping cart. Tao smiles in glee and Sehun rolls his eyes.

It’s been like this ever since they arrived at the supermarket. Tao looks on at a Korean food, asks Junmyeon about it, Junmyeon explains, and then buys it for Tao. It’s ridiculous and Sehun is _not_ jealous.

But if he _were_ jealous, although he is not, it would be because of two things:

  1. Junmyeon has known Tao for an approximate time of two hours, and he is already sure the eldest would trade Sehun, his _own roommate_ , for Tao on a whim.
  2. Tao is _his_ friend, what the hell is Junmyeon doing.



There _might_ be a third reason, and that _might_ be that he also wants to be coddled by Junmyeon, but that is not here nor there. Besides, it’s all hypothetical because he’s not jealous.

“Sehun, don’t fall behind.” Junmyeon calls out from the other side of the aisle, where he and Tao are already moving on to the ice cream section.

Sehun grumpily mumbles something under his breath, but follows along.

When he gets there, Tao is already listening intently to Junmyeon, who is probably explaining something boring and unnecessary about ice cream. Before he moves along though, something catches his eye. A double chocolate chip ice cream, and oh boy, is it beautiful.

He’s tempted to just tell Junmyeon to buy it, but instead walks up to Tao while Junmyeon is checking the grocery list for the umpteenth time, and whispers to him,

“Tell hyung to buy it.”

Tao looks on at the chocolate ice cream with shining eyes, before nodding and turning to look at the eldest. “Junmyeon-hyung, Sehun wants you to buy that ice cream for him.”

Sehun feels like a little kid getting caught doing something bad, it’s pretty embarrassing. However, he can’t say he doesn’t enjoy it when Junmyeon looks at him and grins.

“One chocolate ice cream for Sehun-ah and Tao-yah.”

He’s not bad, Sehun decides, Kim Junmyeon is really not bad.

 

//

Park Chanyeol is a man of simple thoughts, simple words, and simple actions.

Perhaps that is not entirely true. Chanyeol’s thoughts fly at grand velocity inside his little, curious mind. It can range from the stupidly mundane like asking himself _how do flies actually poop_ , to darker themes such as _what will happen after he dies? Will anybody miss him?_ Those specific thoughts usually occur before he goes to bed, when everyone is fast asleep and he has nowhere to escape from his mental prison. He’s not especially fond of them.

So his thoughts in particular may not be simple, but what _makes_ Park Chanyeol a simple person is that he says what he thinks and he does what he says. It’s not his most favorable trait, he admits, not when it has gotten him in trouble more than enough times. Still, it’s something he wouldn’t change about himself because, he has found being honest and true to his own self definitely makes life less complicated and sad.

There exists only one exception in Chanyeol’s life and it has a first and last name: Byun Baekhyun.

It shouldn’t surprise Chanyeol because, as Baekhyun’s best friend, he knows better than anyone what Baekhyun does best: being an annoying little shit that likes to mess with people.

“Earth to Park Chanyeol.” Baekhyun waves a hand in front of Chanyeol. They’re walking along the streets of Seoul, a path they’ve taken countless times together.

The startled Chanyeol gets flustered at his own daydreaming. “What did you say?”

Baekhyun gives him a weird smile, but carries on, too used to Chanyeol’s antics to care, “I _said_ that we should’ve brought an umbrella. It’s gonna rain, Park, I tell you.” He points at the sky with nimble fingers making Chanyeol look up. It’s true. The sky above them is still a pretty, clear blue, however, even from where they are, Chanyeol can see the swirling grey clouds fattened with water making their way through the city.

“Well, then, we should hurry.” Chanyeol replies just as they make their way to the entrance. The welcoming blue sign in front of them is still as tall and vibrant as it always has been: _Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Town_ , it reads.

“What should we eat then?” Baekhyun says with poorly concealed excitement, “I mean, from our oh, so diverse menu.”

Chanyeol stops and pretends to ponder for a moment, hand in chin, “Ok, I know this sounds wild, but how about we try some tteokbokki? I’ve heard it’s good.”

Baekhyun laughs: bright, clear, and loud, like bells on a Sunday morning. “Sounds like a plan.”

They make their way to their usual restaurant. It’s a slow walk, both boys enjoying the cool breeze only street life can give you.

Chanyeol steals a glance at his shorter friend. It’s a rare sight, how calm and peaceful Baekhyun looks in this moment, so different from what the loud-mouthed, prankster of a person he usually is. It makes Chanyeol want to chuckle, so he does.

“What’s so funny, Yeol?” Baekhyun whips his sight at him, but Chanyeol has already looked away.

He shrugs, “You look so weird. All quiet and stuff. Almost like a normal person.”

“Please don’t insult me like that,” Baekhyun glares with no heat, “I’m just trying enjoy mother nature before I have to get cooped up inside school again.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call an old alley full of street food ‘mother nature’, but you do you.” Chanyeol snorts.

“At least is better than our smelly dorm. It reeks too much of testosterone and sweaty socks.”

“We could never, ever take dates there.” Chanyeol laughs, “I don’t see why Junmyeon worries so much about that.”

“He’s just jealous because he isn’t gonna get any until he graduates.” Baekhyun rolls his eyes. A thunder strikes into the distance, lightning the sky for a fraction of a second.

“That’s sad,” Chanyeol mourns, “He’s probably the most attractive out of all of us. _And_ he’s rich.”

“See how life is so unfair, Chanyeol?” Baekhyun huffs in mock annoyance, “It gives Kim Junmyeon the looks and the money, but the soul of an 80 year old woman living as a recluse in Bora-Bora. What does it give me? _Herpes_?”

Chanyeol cackles out a laugh, almost stumbling over the sidewalk, his long legs buckling in laughter “You don’t have herpes, Byun Baekhyun!”

A tiny woman with a boy in hand sends them a glare.

“Well, it’s just a disaster waiting to happen, isn’t it? I’m not going to be surprised if I _do_ get it.”

“Don’t be like that, idiot, life has given you nice things.” Chanyeol grins, dark hair being swept away by the strong wind, “Like me, for example.”

Baekhyun shakes his head, “You’re just life’s cruel way of punishing me for starving my pet fishes to death when I was little. I guess I deserve it, though.”

The students finally arrive at their destination, a decent-sized place with an abundant number of patrons. It’s a popular restaurant, one they had found along with Jongdae and Kyungsoo last year, when they were out and about one weekend, trying to cure their boredom. Kyungsoo was dragged, more than anything, but even he comes back once in a while as well.

Chanyeol feels a fat drop of water land on his nose. He crosses his eyes trying look at it and fails, Baekhyun laughs.

“Good thing we got here before it starts pouring.”

“I’m more worried about how we’re going to leave if it doesn’t stop.”

“We’ll worry about that later.” Baekhyun dismisses, “I’m really hungry.”

They end up ordering for four people. It’s mostly for Chanyeol’s sake since he can usually eat for two, but Baekhyun’s an avid tteokbokki lover so that’s what happens.

The waiter brings the usual pan, filled to the brim with rice cakes, noodles, and eggs. Baekhyun’s pupils dilate at the sight. Chanyeol thinks it’s ridiculous, so he says so.

“You look ridiculous.”

Baekhyun ignores him. “ _Ah_ , so this must be what people call blissful happiness,” Baekhyun sniffs the pot as Chanyeol takes charge of the burner and starts stirring.

“Your bed eyes are creeping me out, Baek,” Chanyeol laughs.

“Don’t get in the way of true love.”

“Which is between you and rice cakes. Good to know.” Chanyeol snickers like the five year old he secretly is. He adds in the chili sauce and dumps the onions last, like his eomma taught him to. Baekhyun looks on, hypnotized by the stirring and smell, waiting. Chanyeol wants to make fun of him. So he does.

“You, Byun Baekhyun, are probably the weirdest person I’ve ever had the displeasure to meet.”

“Such a nice friend, I have,” Baekhyun roll his eyes good-naturedly and pauses for a moment, “You’re not the first person to tell me so, though. Back home, _eomma_ used to say that all the time, in a nicer way, of course. And Kyungsoo says it too. In a meaner way, of course.”

“I’m not surprised.” Chanyeol mutters, turning the burner off and giving the last swirls, “ _Yah_. It’s done. Eat away.”

Baekhyun woops in glee before filling his bowl with boiling tteokbokki, smiling with that bright rectangular smile of his. Chanyeol swears the dingy restaurant gets a little brighter as well.

The rain outside rages on, stronger than ever.

//

 

It’s a rare moment of tranquility at dorm 308.

Junmyeon is off grocery-shopping and has taken Sehun with him. Chanyeol and Baekhyun, for some reason, have gone off to have dinner on a Monday. Jongin is nowhere to be seen, probably drowning somewhere in the rain. And Jongdae, even though he technically doesn’t live here, has yet to make an appearance. Not that Kyungsoo would let him in either way.

Kyungsoo smiles. He _probably_ shouldn’t, since his friends are stuck in this bitch of a storm, but right now they can all suck it. On a moment of glorious serendipity, Do Kyungsoo has the dorm to himself for a whole afternoon.

He takes off his jeans and cotton sweater and changes into his long, soft pajamas, the ones he uses for winter. He puts on his socks, the fluffy one. He goes to the kitchen and makes an entire pot of hot cocoa, marshmallows included. While the milk boils, he goes into the living room and takes out Chanyeol’s large collection of movies. Kyungsoo looks and looks for one in specific, and when he finds it, whispers a soft _a-ha_ and puts it on.

Last but not least, he microwaves two giant bags of popcorn. Extra butter. He wishes it were nachos, but that’s fine.

He grabs his bowl of fresh popcorn on one hand, his mug of hot cocoa on the other, and then softly paddles into the living room. It’s a little troublesome with the wobbling cocoa, but somehow he manages to wrap himself into a blanket burrito, head peeking out. Life is good.

He grabs the remote control, ready to press play—

“Hey, hyung.” A deep voice calls.

Kyungsoo stills.

Maybe if he doesn’t move and ignores it, _it_ will go away.

“Hyung?”

The other voice gets near, sounding a little more amused.

Life is _not_ good.

“Are you ignoring me?”

“Yes.”

The younger boy laughs and drapes himself on the other side of the small couch, making Kyungsoo squirm into the other side with a sneer.

“What are we watching, hyung?”

He glances at the unwelcomed newcomer: he’s more than comfy enough, wearing pajamas just like Kyungsoo is, his hair looks fresh, fluffy, and wet, probably from a shower, which would explain how he went unnoticed by Kyungsoo. He almost hisses at the boy.

Instead, he looks back at the TV screen and flushes a light shade of pink. “Nothing.”

“Is that…Ryan Gosling?”

“No, it’s not, _Jongin_.”

“Yes, it is! And that’s Rachel McAdams!”

Jongin laughs loudly, his mouth so wide open Kyungsoo thinks he might’ve seen a trachea somewhere in there. The sound reverberates so loud throughout the otherwise silent house that he wouldn’t surprise if they hear the cackle all the way to 300.

“Are you making fun of me?” this time he does hiss. For good measure, he also gives his oh, so famous glare. The one that always freaks people out.

It seems it goes unnoticed by Jongin, who gives a toothy grin. “No. I love that movie, it’s one of my favorites. It’s a little sad, though.”

Kyungsoo ponders for a moment, acquiesced a tiny bit by Jongin’s comment. He sniffs. “It’s a great movie. I just thought it’d be a nice day to watch it.”

“When no one’s here to judge you?” Jongin raises his eyebrow, smirking and stealing some of Kyungsoo’s precious popcorn.

“Exactly,” Kyungsoo purses his lips, moving the bowl away from Jongin, “So, you know, off you go, Kim Jongin.”

Jongin smiles at him again, looking more than amused. “I won’t judge. I’ll give you company, hyung.”

“You _really_ don’t have to.”

“I _want_ to.” Jongin resolutely says, making himself comfortable with the nearby cushions and plopping his feet on the armrest. His head is so close to Kyungsoo’s lap that the older boy can smell whatever fruity shampoo he used. It smells like Baekhyun’s; a fact that doesn’t make Kyungsoo more endeared to Jongin.

Looking at the sprawled figure of Jongin, Kyungsoo knows he has just lost this battle.

“Whatever,” Kyungsoo mutters under his breath then louder, “Just don’t talk.”

He moves as far away as he can from Jongin, and grumpily munches on his popcorn.

//

 

“You know, I don’t get it.” Jongin says in between mouthfuls of popcorn. It’s their third batch. “How love can make people so stupid.”

Kyungsoo reasons, “It doesn’t make _them_ stupid. It just makes them take some questionable decisions, which _can_ be stupid.”

“Like kiss in the rain.” Jongin finishes.

“Like kiss in the rain, yeah.” The movie is still playing, but Kyungsoo has seen it enough times that he’s still able to hold a conversation with Jongin.

“They’re totally gonna catch a cold.” Jongin muses.

Nodding, Kyungsoo takes a sip from his lukewarm cocoa. “They are.”

“Although…I guess, it is pretty romantic. In a stupid way.”

Jongin stares at the shorter boy, then chuckles on, amusedly. “I didn’t peg you for a romantic, Kyungsoo-hyung.”

He glowers, as if he just tasted something awful. “I’m not, trust me, _I’m not_.”

Jongin sits up from where he was still laying on the couch. He stretches his arms and turns to look at Kyungsoo. “Then why are you such a fan of _The Notebook_? Unless it’s just for the shirtless Ryan Gosling, which I can agree on.”

Kyungsoo sighs, absent-mindedly blowing at his mug. “Well, people like fairy tales, don’t they? Doesn’t mean fairies and wizards really do exist.”

Jongin is quiet for a moment, Kyungsoo can feel his blazing stare on him. He feels unnerved, what he doesn’t expect though, is a snort.

Jongin snorts with a laugh. “ _That_ is the realest thing someone’s ever said.”

Kyungsoo dares to look back at him, curious, “It’s extremely pessimistic. People always tell me so.”

“That’s because people are naturally romantics. They _want_ to believe in love. And if you don’t, you’re going against nature or something. Which is bullshit.” Jongin shrugs.

It’s Kyungsoo’s turn to stare at Jongin, who looks back at the screen.

“Now I want to hear _your_ thoughts on love.”

Jongin coughs, a little more self-conscious than before, and scratches the back of his neck. “I just don’t think it’s real. I mean, the way it’s portrayed in movies and books and all that.”

Kyungsoo hums, letting the other boy continue.

“I think it’s mainly two things: physical attraction. Because that _does_ exist. And familial love, you know, fondness more than anything. Like how you love your mom. And then, society does the rest. All the love stories you hear when little. Everyone marrying and saying it’s the best. I just—I don’t think it’s a thing.”

“And I presume you haven’t had a girlfriend? Boyfriend?” Kyungsoo inquires.

“Well I mean, I’ve had.” Jongin laughs, “Three, actually. Two girlfriends. One boyfriend. And I liked them. I liked kissing them, at least. And they were my friends. But I never loved them, if that’s what you mean.”

He continues, his voice deep in thought. “I know I sound like a bitter asshole, I don’t mean to be like that. I think bonds are precious, and I like seeing people happy. But the concept of love just makes everything so constricted. In a little box, if you will.”

“No, it’s ok.” Kyungsoo gives a little encouraging smile. “I haven’t thought about it as much as you, but I also do not believe in conventional love.”

“What do you believe in, hyung?”

The movie plays in the background, forgotten.

“I think,” Kyungsoo slowly starts, low and airy, “some people are made to love. Purely, unadulterated love. The real thing. And some people are not. Simple as that.”

“So there are just some unlucky people out there? That won’t ever feel real love, even if they try? That’s…sad.”

“It’s not a bad thing at all. It just _is_.” Kyungsoo explains, “Like how some people are born able to dance or sing or act, and some people aren’t. I can agree with you on the fact that society makes requited, romantic love seem like the ultimate goal in life. It’s not.”

“Have _you_ ever had a girlfriend?” Jongin blurts out.

Kyungsoo stays silent for a moment. He looks at the clock. It’s getting late and still none of their friends are back. He should at least check up on them. Maybe call them or something. He turns back to Jongin.

He sighs. “A boyfriend.”

Jongin looks on expectantly and curious, urging his older friend to continue. Kyungsoo doesn’t want to, but the words come out at once, flying out his mouth like frenzied butterflies.

“We were together for three years.”

Kyungsoo is diligently not looking at Jongin, but from the corner of his eyes, he can still see the other boy gape in surprise. He doesn’t blame him. With all the pessimistic words he’s been spewing out, he wouldn’t expect himself to have had such a long relationship either.

“I know, I know. Grumpy old Kyungsoo had a long-term boyfriend.” He rolls his eyes.

“No, it’s not that!” Jongin’s eyes bulge, “I just, uh,--”

“It’s ok, Jongin.” Kyungsoo dismisses quickly. “We broke up, uh, a year and a half ago, I think. Before I came to Seoul, at least.”

“Oh.” Jongin bites his lip, nervous. “Is that where you got your idea of love? Your relationship? …You don’t have to answer, if it makes you sad or anything…”

Kyungsoo laughs. “Don’t be so serious about this, Jongin-ah. It was a long time ago. And I was the one who broke with him.”

Jongin gives back warm smile. _Jongin-ah_. It feels like they’re friends now.

“To answer your question,” Kyungsoo adds, “Yes. He loved with the unadulterated, uncensored kind of love. You know, very fiercely and fearless. I loved him too, of course. I think he might be the person I love— _loved_ the most.” He confesses. His heart feels lighter and heavier at the same time.

“But, I’m the other type of person, Jongin. The ones that can’t love as purely, and he deserved better than that.”

“So you broke up with him.” Jongin states, it’s not a question.

“Yes.” Kyungsoo finishes. He looks back up Jongin, who looks definitely enthralled by Kyungsoo’s story. He looks at the screen. The end credits are rolling.

Kyungsoo laughs. “We missed the ending.”

Jongin gets out of his reverie and chuckles. “Sorry. We can rewind if you want.”

Kyungsoo looks out the window. The sky is now dark, but the rain has stopped. Only a few droplets are still pitter-pattering and the rest of the boys will no doubt be coming soon.

“No, it’s ok.” He says, standing up and grabbing the empty bowls and mugs. “Just help me clean this mess up before Junmyeon-hyung arrives.”

Jongin dutifully obliges with a salute.

“Oh, and Jongin?” Kyungsoo says, getting a hold of Jongin’s thin wrist.

“Yeah, hyung?” Jongin looks down at Kyungsoo’s much too close face.

“If you tell anyone we were watching _The Notebook_ , I’ll kill you in your sleep. Don’t think I won’t.” He lets go of Jongin.

 

//

 

They finish the entire pot of tteokbokki in less than half an hour.

Baekhyun pats his stomach in satisfaction and finishes off with a glass of water.

He sighs happily and rests a hand on Chanyeol shoulders, patting it. “This was a great idea, Park. I don’t think I could’ve eaten instant ramen for one more day.” Baekhyun says. “I really need to learn how to cook before I graduate.”

Chanyeol makes a gurgling noise as he chugs down his own water. “I would love to see _that_.”

With the rain in full blow now, the restaurant has gone static. The few patrons still there are chatting amongst themselves, no one daring to go outside in the heavy rain. Chanyeol can’t even make out the other side of the street, the gust of wind and rain making it difficult to see much of anything.

“You could teach me.” He exclaims, “You’re good at cooking. Even though you hardly cook.”

“Ah. Too busy. You’re a lost cause.” Chanyeol grumbles. Baekhyun pouts, but Chanyeol looks away, defiant. “Ask Kyungsoo-yah, he’s a better cook.”

Baekhyun answers with no hesitation. “Ha! He won’t do it. Even if you paid one million won, he’d never.”

“He might, you never know.”

“I think he attempted it, once.” Baekhyun tries to remember, hand propped against the table, “But I’m pretty sure something was burnt and destroyed.”

Chanyeol can vividly picture his two small friends in the kitchen, one grumping and scolding while the other laughs stupidly at everything. Somehow they end up burning toast, flames and everything. Chanyeol smiles despite himself. Then he remembers—

“Kyungsoo asked me to bring him patbingsu, by the way.”

Baekhyun raises a questioning eyebrow, “It’s going to melt.”

“We could get it right before we leave, it’s not a long way back.”

“Which reminds me,” Baekhyun looks at his cellphone, “Not that I actually want to go back to responsibilities and college and Junmyeon’s nagging, but it’s getting really late, we should head back soon.”

Chanyeol glances back at the window, “It’s still raining a lot. Even if we hail a taxi we still have to walk all of the alley, we’ll get wet.”

“Then let’s get wet.”

Chanyeol turns his gaze back at his best friend. Baekhyun is wearing that devilish smile. The one that can only mean trouble; imminent trouble. Chanyeol has yet to learn how to say no to it.

“Baekhyunie, no.” he trembles as he says it. Baekhyun’s smile grows, almost a smirk.

“C’mon, _Yeol_.” Baekhyun insists, “We really need to get back, right? It’s only water. If we take a shower as soon as we get back home we won’t get sick.”

The rain is not as strong as it was before, at least Chanyeol can see most of the street now. It’s still heavy though, heavy enough that they’ll get drenched if they stay outside for more than a few seconds.

“Yeol?”

Chanyeol sighs, something weird bubbling up his chest. Stupidity, Kyungsoo would say.

“Alright.” He blurts out. “But wear your jacket.”

Baekhyun smiles so impossibly wide, “Of course.”

They stand up and Chanyeol can feel curious eyes looking at them. Baekhyun tugs at his sleeve, dragging him to the exit and the splashing sound of rain hitting the pavement becomes too strong. Before Chanyeol can say anything, Baekhyun takes the last step.

The cold, cold water hits Chanyeol’s face in an instant. The sound echoes through his ears. Baekhyun is still holding onto him, he guides them toward the middle of the alley, but stop there. He can feel the drops streaming down his face, from his cheeks making their way down to his neck. His own jacket does well in protecting him, but even so, he opens up his palm up in the air, trying to catch a puddle of rain water. He laughs. Loud and euphoric. It’s been years since he’s done this, since he was a child, perhaps.

He can feel his long enough hair stick to his forehead and sides. He must look like a wet dog.

“You look like a wet dog.” Baekhyun says next to him, a little louder than usual. Chanyeol whips his head and is met with the face of a very drenched Baekhyun.

“You’re enjoying this too much.” Chanyeol shouts.

He can’t hear it very well, but he see the way Baekhyun laughs. “You too!”

Before he can retort, Baekhyun grabs Chanyeol’s much bigger hand, fingers intertwined, and makes a run for it. They run through the alley, shoes splashing at the puddles of water. Chanyeol can already feel the squelch on his socks and the water seeping through the fabric of his clothes. He can’t really care.

Not right now, not when Baekhyun looks back at him in delight. The biggest and most brilliant smile he’s ever laid eyes upon. He’s known, has always known, that Baekhyun is like a giant black hole in spacetime. A black hole that’s sucks you in at the speed of light, irrevocably trapping you inside. He never asks if you want to be sucked in, not that anyone would ever say no to the magnetic, warm embrace. Chanyeol can’t.

Chanyeol can’t see himself, but he knows he must look pathetic right now, all wet and cold, and trembling. Baekhyun looks anything but that. He can feel the warmth coming from Baekhyun’s nimble fingertips, he can feel it on his smile and on the crinkles by his eyes. He can feel it on the way his short bangs stick to his forehead, and the way his lilac jacket drapes a little too big on his frame. On the tiny dot just above his upper lip, and the way his smile forms a ridiculous rectangle.

Park Chanyeol is a man of simple thoughts, simple words, and simple actions.

Perhaps that is not entirely true. There exists one exception in Chanyeol’s life and it has a first and last name: Byun Baekhyun.

Because with Byun Baekhyun, Chanyeol cannot do what he says, and say what he thinks. He can’t say how extraordinary he thinks Baekhyun is. He can’t kiss the corner of Baekhyun’s mouth as much as he thinks about it.

He can’t say out loud how wonderfully in love he is with Byun Baekhyun.

Small streams of water run by their feet, washing away the dirt on the pavement. There’s a small paper boat floating by their side.

Baekhyun stops in his tracks. Looks at Chanyeol curiously, trying to look for an answer. “Chanyeollie?”

Chanyeol coughs. He might be flushing red, he doesn’t know, and if he is, then he hopes the rain is still strong enough for Baekhyun to not notice.

“Yeah?” his voice sounds weird to his own ears. Sticky and unused.

“We should, um, we should go buy Kyungsoo-yah’s patbingsu.”

“Of course.”

The rain slowly comes to a halt.

//

 

 

  

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun facts:  
> \- lu han is 100% inspired by the character of linchong from lu han's movie, the witness.  
> \- the suho/tao/sehun scene was inspired by this adorable [fanart](http://exoonehouse.tumblr.com/post/138834041458/grocery-shopping-with-mama)  
> \- aside from chanbaek and hunhan, have you guys guessed who the third one-sided couple is?


	4. vodka double wine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys, i'm here with another chapter :) this one's a bit longer and was quite fun to write so hopefully you'll like it.  
> again, thanks a hundred times to sam who beta-ed this! 
> 
> also, mildly-important notice: after chapter five (next week), chapters might not be weekly anymore. sadly, my summer break is over and i have to go back to college :( i'm still writing the story, just a bit slower!
> 
> anyway, thank you SO, SO much to everyone who has read, commented, or given kudos. you guys are so lovely! please keep on enjoying this fic :)

**{chapter four}**

//

 

Sehun’s frantic steps can probably be heard throughout the dorm building. Frankly, he doesn’t care.

He searches for the loose key he knows is somewhere inside his backpack, a feat that’s easier said than done given that his backpack is a black hole of everything evil. He finds it at the very bottom of the bag, right next to the bag of cheetos he regrettably lost last week. With a quick jab, he opens the door to dorm 308.

“Jongin! Jongin!” he calls out as soon as the door closes behind him. “Jongin!!!”

The dorm is surprisingly silent, with most of its occupants in class. However, Sehun knows that most freshmen’s classes are done by this time of the afternoon, just like his are. So he _knows_ Jongin is here and probably ignoring him.

“ _Jongin_!” He calls out one last time as he opens the door to Kyungsoo’s and Jongin’s shared room.

Kim Jongin has the decency to finally look up from his book (um, and why is Jongin even reading outside of class?), and gives a measly and uninterested, “Yeah?”

Sehun can’t really care about Jongin’s own lack to give a fuck. Not when he’s on the brink of death.

“Jongin, what is this ‘exam week _’_ everyone seems to be talking about?” He towers above Jongin, who is still tumbled on his bed, book on the side.

Jongin raises an eyebrow, finally giving his full attention to his younger friend, “What do you mean? It’s exam week…we have _exams_.”

“Ok,” Sehun nods slowly, as if processing this new information is a great task. Perhaps it is. Perhaps this is the first time hearing this. _Perhaps_ no one fucking told him about this. “And when exactly is exam week?”

“…next week?”

Sehun calmly takes a deep breath. Jongin fears.

After a beat of silence, “How the fuck was I supposed to know this?”

“It was on the syllabus. All the professors gave us one.”

“ _Nobody_ reads the syllabus.” Sehun mumbles, blowing a strand piece of hair out of his face with an annoyed huff.

Sensing that danger might not be imminent anymore, Jongin goes back to his book. “That might just be you.”

“Jongin, I haven’t studied _at all_.” Sehun goes back to normal self and starts whining, dumping himself on Kyungsoo’s bed.

“Well, you still got this weekend. Besides, it’s not like all professors are gonna follow the schedule. Like I said, _check your syllabus_.”

“You are of no help Kim Jongin, you just think you’re better than me because you’re older.”

“That’s not true, Sehun-ah,” Jongin looks up and gives the other boy a sad look, “I’m also a better dancer.”

Sehun stands up, indignant, “ _Over_. Our friendship is over. See who defends you from Baekhyun and Chanyeol in the future.”

“Probably Kyungsoo-hyung.”

“Ok, I see how it is. Goodbye, Jongin.” Sehun haughtily stands up and walks out of the room. He hears a faint and soulless _bye_ from Jongin. He has no friends, he is truly alone in this world.

He _needs_ no friends, what he needs right now is a plan to somehow cram one month worth of classes into two days of studying.

He goes into his room, takes out his phone, and speed dials the most recent contact. It rings once before a shrill voice picks up.

“Sehun?”

“Taozi, did you know exam week is on Monday?” he laments into the phone in lieu of greeting. He expects Tao to cry with him or give a dramatic gasp. What he doesn’t expect is,

“Yeah, it was on the syllabus.”

Sehun can physically feel the betrayal travel through the phone and stab him in the heart. “Tao! And you didn’t think to tell me?”

“I thought you’d know!” Tao defends, “Everyone reads the syllabus.”

“Not _everyone_.” Sehun frowns. Fuck those syllabuse. “I really need to study this weekend, or else I’m gonna fail and get expelled and go live on the street.”

He can hear Tao’s sigh from the other side of the line, “If it makes you feel better, I haven’t finished revising either, and Junmyeon is coming by tomorrow to tutor me on Korean grammar.”

“Can’t we just quit school and get paid with Instagram sponsorships?” Sehun says. He can already see it. One million followers and getting paid by diet tea companies just by taking selcas. It sounds like his call.

“If only.” Tao laughs, voice high and cute, “But we can do it Oh Sehun. And afterwards we can tell Lu-ge to go out with us and buy us some drinks.”

“Now _that_ sounds like a plan.” Sehun smiles excitedly at the prospect of going out with Lu Han. “I guess I’ll leave you to it. I might as well start revising today.”

“Ok, bye Sehun! I’ll text you later, ok?”

Sehun smiles, “Bye Tao.”

He hangs up and forces himself to look at the pile of dusted books atop his barely used desk. It’s going to be a long week.

//

Lu Han’s exams are done by Thursday and so, his mind can be freely occupied with what really matters: football.

It’s yet another day of practice on the pitch, and yet another day where Coach Song decides to divide the team and do a scrimmage.

As probably the best striker on the team, Lu Han doesn’t really care which team he is put on, not when he’s the one scoring the actual goals.

“Lee goes with red. Kang, go with blue. Choi, you do blue as well.” The coach starts calling out names, strategically picking players to test their abilities so far.

It’s hard being chosen as a starter player as soon as football season begins, and it is in these practice matches where the players can truly show what they got.

Names are being called one by one before Lu Han’s, but he really doesn’t think much of it. He’s always either put on team red to test out Jinyoung’s still wobbly abilities as central midfielder, or on team blue to test out their two strongest defenders, Minho and Inseung. So Lu Han _doesn’t_ seem to think much of it. At least not until he’s the last member who hasn’t been called out. Along with Kim Minseok.

He looks at the other boy and gestures him to say something. Minseok frowns and gestures back with a tilt of the head and widened eyes, but before Lu Han can speak up, Coach Song dismisses the rest of the players.

“Go warm up, we’ll start in five.”

The rest of his teammates trickled away over to the practice field, one or two looking at Minseok’s and Lu Han’s direction, also confused. “Coach?” Lu Han finally coughs out.

“I wanted to speak to you both, actually.” The man looks up from his single attendance sheet.

“Uh, yeah?” Minseok’s voice trembles and steals and questioning glance at Lu Han who seems to know as much him.

“Lu Han,” Song starts, looking at him, “I’m going to need you to be Minseok’s target man.”

Lu Han’s mouth opens but nothing really comes out. Mineok’s _what_? He can feel cold dread spreading through his body. After a moment, his voice finally catches up with him, “Excuse me sir, I don’t understand.” He laughs nervously.

“A target man,” Minseok oh, so graciously explains, “We’ll use you as a decoy and distract the other team.”

“I _know_ what a target man is.” Lu Han barks back, then steals a glance at Song and thinks better of it, “What I mean is, um, why me? Aren’t I…the, um…”

He isn’t even looking at his direction but he can _feel_ Minseok’s roll of eyes.

“Yes, our star stiker.” Song finishes, “That is exactly why. And that’s also exactly why I didn’t say it in front of the rest of the guys. Everyone’s eyes will be on you Lu Han, as is expected, including your own team. Your job is to take the ball as far as you can while distracting everyone and then passing it on to Minseok, who will try to score.”

“Because no one will be expecting me,” Minseok ponders, “It’s a great idea. Right, Lu Han?”

At this point Lu Han doesn’t know if Minseok is mocking him or is actually trying to get Lu Han on the coach’s good graces. Either way, even though his whole body is screaming out that _no, I’m the one supposed to make the goals!,_ he nods and goes along with it because there really isn’t much to say.

Song gives them a pat on the back each and goes back to the benches, leaving them in silence.

“I trust you can do a good job?” Minseok says, not unkindly, but it still makes Lu Han want to punch him the face.

“I trust that you can actually _score_ one measly goal?”

Minseok sighs, “Look, it sounds like a good plan, don’t get pissy. It’s just a scrimmage.” With that, he leaves where the rest of team red is.

Things with Minseok haven’t been as bad as they were at the beginning. They can actually have breakfast on the same table without Lu Han wanting to strangle him, and once in a while, Minseok even brings him iced coffee after practice because that’s apparently a thing he does to guys who hate him. He’s a little weird. But then again, Lu Han always drinks up the whole thing, even if he’s not particularly craving coffee.

However, Lu Han still hasn’t forgotten that his future captain position is threatened by this one little guy with cat eyes and too much eyeliner. And now his position as star striker, apparently. He has more than enough reasons to dislike Kim Minseok.

When they get on the pitch, Lu Han takes his usual center position while Minseok strays a tad to the right side, just enough to be inconspicuous but still center enough for the goal post.

 Minseok gives him a small thumbs up, and then the starting whistle blows.

The start is certainly slow, both teams keeping the ball within the mid-fielders, so there isn’t much either Lu Han or Minseok can do.

It’s at the end of the first half, however, that things seem to heat up. Jinki, from the red team, finally manages to take the ball away from Jinyoung and yes, instantly, he passes it on to Lu Han, as is usual.

Like so many times before, Lu Han swiftly takes the ball with nimble feet all across the familiar grass. And of course, in a matter of seconds, Minho and Inseung are breathing down his neck trying to somehow steal the ball from him.

Lu Han is not called the star of the team for nothing, so even though the defense players are particularly good, he still manages to outrun and out-trick both of them. And that’s also why most of team blue is watching _him_ , instead of the tiny fireball that’s just getting closer and closer to the goal post.

Lu Han runs a few more paces, making sure it’s really as close as he can get to Minseok without anyone noticing, and, finding the right angle, Lu Han finally kicks the ball towards the smaller boy.

He can’t help a smirk grow as he sees Minho’s and Inseung’s dumbfounded stare as the ball flies right past both of them and perfectly into Minseok’s feet, where he is completely and utterly alone, ready to score.

In a fraction of a second, Minseok smirks back, and it really does feel like one of those slow-mo scenes from a movie. In an instant, though, Minseok kicks towards the net, and, of course, it’s a goal.

The rest of his teammates cheer, and it’s kind of stupid because it _is_ just a practice scrimmage, but Lu Han woops alongside them because he’s never been a lowly target man but right now, it feels _great_.

Before he knows what he’s doing, he runs towards Minseok with a giant grin on his face.

He pats him on the back with a warm hand, “Kim Minseok, I think we found our secret weapon.”

//

Sehun is sitting, for once in his lifetime, at the desk he brought along with him from home. His mom had bought it exclusively so that college Sehun could study comfortably and daily. Most of the time that desk is filled with underwear and boxes and literally everything other than actual school work. He’s never felt bad because Junmyeon’s desk is in the same (or even worse) state than his. Of course, Junmyeon _does_ study every few days and _does_ read his professors’ syllabus and is never on the brink of self-destruction.

Scratch that. Junmyeon is always on the brink of self-destruction, but it’s never because he doesn’t study enough.

So there he is, on a Thursday afternoon, trying to cram a whole book into his brain in a couple of hours. He’s going to have to pull an all-nighter, he thinks, especially because it is the core class he hates the most, Korean history. Which to him is pretty mind-blowing because why the hell does he need to know history when his degree is on graphic design?

“Are you sulking?” Tao calls from where he’s lying on Sehun’s bed, magazine on hand. “Stop sulking and study.”

Sehun looks at his friend, all calm and peaceful. “It’s not fair,” he grumbles, “How come you’re done with your exams?”

“Because I’m pretty and you’re ugly, I think.” Tao doesn’t look up from his magazine. “Now get to study or forget all about me telling Lu to give you the time of day.”

Sehun wants to retort, but Tao is right, he’s not going to learn all about the Reconstitution of Korea and Roh Tae Woo if he keeps whining and sulking. He sighs and goes back to his notes, still pouting.

His actual studying doesn’t last more than a good fifteen minutes. Out of nowhere, a ruckus is heard from outside his room and that can only mean that Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and possibly, most likely, Jongdae have arrived. The loud voices mingle together as one and Sehun glowers, how is he supposed to study like this?

“Jongin!” he can hear Baekhyun call, “Oh, small Jongin, where are you?” That doesn’t sound good for Jongin. Sehun has only known Baekhyun for a month, but he can already distinguish his up-to-no-good voice. Which, he concedes, it’s most of the time.

Sehun tries to ignore the older boys’ noise, but all seems futile when there’s a rapid knock on the door followed by a flash of a too hyper-active Byun Baekhyun. Jongdae and Chanyeol follow closely behind, of course.

“Sehun!” Baekhyun walks up to him and with a smiling face much too close to his, he says, “You’re going, right?”

It’s a conversation he really can’t be having right now, not with such limited time before his death, but he still takes the bait, “Going where?”

“Noraebang night!” Jongdae continues, equally as loud as his friend, “We’re going tonight, we made reservations.”

“To celebrate exams are over!” Chanyeol joins in.

“Norobang?” Tao says from Sehun’s bed, eyes twinkling and curious.

“Exams aren’t over. _Mine_ aren’t over.” Sehun protests.

“What’s a Norobang, hyung?” Tao asks because of course he’s the perfect victim for the three older students.

“Norae…bang.” Chanyeol tries to explain, “Song…room. Where you sing along to songs and dance, have fun, and drink.”

“And win.” Jongdae and Baekhyun say in unison.

“That’s not a thing,” Chanyeol reproaches, “You just like to make everything a competition.”

“Someone’s just jealous. It’s ok Chanyeol, no one really ever expects you to win.”

“Whatever, it’s _not_ a competition,” sniffs Chanyeol making himself comfortable on Junmyeon’s unmade bed, “We’re going tonight, you guys in?” He looks at the younger boys.

“Jongin already said yes,” Baekhyun chimes. “Junmyeon’s also going, he never misses them. For some reason he’s really into trot music.”

Jongdae looks at Tao, “And I already invited Minseok. Who then invited, Yixing, who invited Yifan, who invited Lu Han. We’re all going.”

Sehun groans loudly from the other side, his head making contact with the hard wood desk. “Why are you all doing this?”

“Huh?”

“I have a test tomorrow and you’re all going to some bar and get drunk and invite Lu Han? What kind of fucking friends are you?”

Baekhyun looks wide-eyed, “You still have exams?”

Sehun pouts even more, if possible, “Yes. Korean history. With Professor Yang.”

Jongdae winces. “I had that class. Exams are tough.”

“ _Exactly_.”

Baekhyun seems to ponder for a moment. “Kyungsoo got high marks on that class last year.”

Chanyeol looks up. “Yeah, he did…”

The smaller boy continues, “You should tell him to help you study for a bit. Then maybe you can both go a bit later to the noraebang.”

“Would he want to? Kyungsoo, I mean.”

“Of course! He’s really nice!” Baekhyun smiles, “When he’s not busy trying to kill us or eating babies for lunch.”

Out of all his dorm mates, Kyungsoo is probably the one Sehun has talked to the least. Jongin is probably his closest friend, Junmyeon is his dorm mate slash foster mother, and Baekhyun and Chanyeol seem to always pester him wherever he goes. Kyungsoo, though…Kyungsoo seems to be more reserved and quiet and doesn’t really get into Sehun’s business. If he’s honest, Sehun is a little intimidated by Do Kyungsoo, but if he’s the one person who can help him pass, he’s gonna have to suck it up.

“I’ll ask him, I guess.” Sehun nods slowly.

Baekhyun preens, “Good, and when you’re done, get your asses to our noraebang.”

//

 

“So you won’t be going?” Tao pouts for the umpteenth time from Sehun’s right side. Jongin is on his left and wears an almost identical face.

Sehun clears his throat because this is something that he does not need right now. “What about all that _you need to study Sehun, you’re ugly_ , you were whining about earlier on?” He raises his pitch tone and adds in a clogged nose mimicking Tao, or trying to at least.

Tao rolls his eyes, “Alright, you study. Jongin and I will be going to the Norobang and have fun.”

Jongin gives Sehun a sympathetic pat on the back, “It’s ok, you’ll ace the test with Kyungsoo-hyung’s help.”

“And Baekhyun said they do this every month,” Tao preens, “We’ll have our rap battle next time, I promise.”

“Just do well on your exams, Sehun-ah.” Jongin adds, then gives a quick look at his phone, “We ought to leave, Tao. The last buses to Seogyo-dong will leave in a couple of minutes.”

Tao looks wide eyed at Jongin, “Oh, of course. Baekhyun-hyung and Chanyeol-hyung already left, right?”

Jongin coughs. “Yeah. We’re probably the last ones.”

Tao gives a short nod and looks back one last time at his less fortunate friend, “See you later, Sehun! Study a lot!”

“Bye!” Jongin gives one last wave before hurrying to chase after a scurrying Tao.

Sehun chuckles evilly under his breath. He can tell why both of his friends seemed a little awkward. They haven’t really talked to each other much without Sehun’s presence as a middle man, so the thirty minute ride to Seogyo-dong can’t possibly be something they’re looking forward to a lot.

Either way, it’s not something he can ponder a lot on, not when Kyungsoo is waiting for him at his own room. Without much coaxing, Sehun had managed to convince the older boy to explain a few things before he left for noraebang night. Sehun has an inkling that he mostly did it to save himself from a few hours of a drunk Byun Baekhyun, but Sehun appreciates it all the same.

He knocks on the door before Kyungsoo gives a soft _come in._ He enters the room, and, once again, is a little surprised to see how clean and orderly everything looks. He notices it every time he barges in to hang out with Jongin, which is pretty often, but this is the first time seeing Kyungsoo alone in it, and now Sehun is mostly sure the state of the room is mostly thanks to the older student.

“Hey, hyung.” Sehun greets timidly.

To be honest, he _does_ feel a little nervous and self-conscious which usually doesn’t happen with Sehun, but Do Kyungsoo, despite his height, can be a little intimidating. With his murderer eyes, deep voice, and tendency to not tolerate bullshit. He almost choked on air the first time Jongin referred to Kyungsoo as _cute_. He also knows that Baekhyun and Chanyeol and Jongdae like him a lot too, almost always involving him in on their many endeavors. It’s not that he doesn’t like Kyungsoo, it’s just that he doesn’t know what all the fuss is about.

“Come in.” Kyungsoo continues, too occupied with something on his desk to turn around and glance at Sehun.

As he steps closer, Sehun can see what Kyungsoo is looking at: small pieces of colorful paper, all covering half of the desk like a fluorescent mosaic. A thick notebook is opened by Kyungsoo’s side.

Kyungsoo finally looks up at him and pats the seat next to him. Sehun promptly obeys and takes the seat in front.

“Baekhyun told me Mr. Yang is your professor?” he raises a single eyebrow.

Sehun can’t help but pull a face at the mention of his least favorite teacher. “Yes.” He adds in with a sigh. “He’s horrible.”

A small laugh erupts from Kyungsoo and Sehun feels a little less tense. “Yeah, he can be a pain in the ass, trust me.”

“You had him too?”

Kyungsoo nods, “The only reason I never had trouble with his course was because history is my favorite subject.”

“How is that possible? _Nobody_ likes history.” Sehun’s whining magically comes back. “Especially someone who is _not_ majoring in history.”

“It’s easy.” Kyungsoo shrugs, “And interesting, actually. Do you like to read?”

Sehun grimaces, “Not particularly.”

“Well then, do you like movies? Or dramas?”

“Yeah, I like movies. Action ones.” He relents.

“Well, studying history is just like that. Just imagine that it’s a plot with sequences and characters.” Kyungsoo shrugs,

“I would never watch a movie about Roh Tae Woo. I like action ones with murder and blood and treason.” Sehun frowns, making Kyungsoo give a small laugh yet again.

“Roh Tae Woo’s life is actually not as boring as one might think,” Kyungsoo starts, stacking the small colored papers on one side, “He was from a slightly poor family. And then his father died, but he still managed to succeed at school and then he enrolled in the military where he fought in the Vietnam war.”

“As a general.” Sehun vaguely recalls something like that in class, it’s blurry though, the Professor’s voice eternally dull and painfully slow.

“As a lieutenant actually.” Kyungsoo corrects, “Then he got promoted to general while he was part of a secret organization that helped stage a coup d’état to help Chun Doo-Hwan become President. They were high school friends actually.”

“Wait, what?” Sehun scrunches up his eyebrows. Yang didn’t mention that and it was not on his notes either. “How did they meet?”

Kyungsoo smirks, “See? It _is_ an interesting story. It also has treason and murder somewhere in there. It’s just like a book or a movie. It’s easier to remember it like that.”

“ _And_ ,” he continues, “It’s all condensed and color coded right here.” Kyungsoo lifts the heavy notebook that Sehun had first noticed and shoves it the younger’s direction. “It’s all of my history notes from last year.”

Sehun watches amazed at the clean cut and colorful notes. “Woah, hyung. You don’t play around, do you?”

Kyungsoo smiles proudly and maybe Sehun can see a little bit of what Jongin meant when he called Kyungsoo cute.

“And these are cue cards,” Kyungsoo points to the small stack in front of him, “They’re also color coded and summarized because it’s easier for the brain to memorize information when it has a visual cue to go along with it.”

Sehun watches in wonder at the small papers. Sure enough, information like names and dates are all neatly written in each of the cards. This is how college students study, thinks Sehun in amazement. He really needs to up his game.

“Thank you.” Sehun says in an outburst, looking at a startled Kyungsoo. He adds as an after-thought, “Hyung.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Kyungsoo waves dismissively, “You saved me a taxi ride squeezed in between Chanyeol and Baekhyun,”

“They like you.”

“Huh?”

“The other hyungs. They like you a lot. Jongin likes you a lot too.” Sehun explains.

“You say it like it’s such a good thing.” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, but Sehun can see the tiniest of smiles growing on the corners of his mouth.

Sehun ponders for a moment before deciding to grin. “I like you now a lot too, hyung.”

“Because I’m helping you pass your test?”

“Because you’re nice. And cute.”

Kyungsoo frowns at the younger boy. “ _I’m not cute_. No wonder you get along with Kim Jongin so well.”

“Now, before you say something stupid and I regret helping you out,” Kyungsoo looks over the notes, “Let’s study for a bit. God knows you need it.”

Sehun nods eagerly, “What was that about a coup d’état?”

//

“Listen, everyone,” Baekhyun takes a sip from his piña colada. Almost all eyes are on him, although he can still see Lu Han glaring and mumbling at Minseok, but he guesses that’s a lost cause. He continues, “This is the plan. One shot every time someone goes off-key.”

“Let’s put Park first, then.” Jongdae snickers behind him.

Baekhyun ignores him. “One shot for every messed up lyrics. And, one shot for every long or high note done perfect.”

“And at the end, the person with the best performance wins.” He takes another sip. “That means me.”

He can see most of the group roll their eyes, but it’s fine, he’s gonna get them all drunk by the end of the night even if it’s the last thing Byun Baekhyun does.

He’s rented one of the biggest rooms, which consists of five booths, music, and an endless supply of drinks: everything he’s hoped for.

His past noraebang nights have been smaller, with usually only him, Jongdae, Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, and ocassionally Junmyeon. Now his group has expanded, it seems. But he really doesn’t mind, Yixing and Yifan seem to be fun, Jongdae assures him Minseok is hilarious, and even Lu Han seems like he’s going to be a riot once he gets drunk. The only ones still not there are Kyungsoo and the freshmen, but they’ll probably arrive soon enough.

It’s going to be a great night.

//

Jongin taps his finger on the bus window, his own reflection on it mirroring the awkward face he’s wearing. He knows he shouldn’t be so self-conscious, but the silence that surrounds himself and Zitao is getting more uncomfortable by the second.

There aren’t many people on the bus besides them, next to them there’s only a small woman carrying a little girl on her lap and behind them, two elderly men talking and chuckling softly. The other few passengers are at the very back of the bus, their soft murmurs of conversation almost lulling Jongin to sleep. He’s acutely aware that Tao is sitting right next to him, neither saying a word since they got on the bus.

He thinks about what to say, or what to ask, it’s going to be a thirty minute ride, after all. In the end, it is Tao who breaks the silence with a cough and a soft, “How were your exams?”

Jongin looks up at the slightly taller boy and gives a small nod, “Good. I mean, I guess I could’ve done better, but I think it was fine for a first time. And yours?”

“I had to write an essay. My Korean isn’t very good looking yet, but hopefully I did well enough.”

Jongin gives a little smile at Tao’s wording, but continues before the conversation goes stale. “What did you say you were majoring in?”

“Fashion design.” Tao’s eyes brighten up a bit and Jongin can feel Tao’s earnest excitement.

“Did you like the program here in Seoul?” he asks back.

Tao ponders for a moment, suddenly looking shy. Even if he hasn’t spent much time around Tao, Jongin knows he isn’t usually like this around Sehun. He gives the other freshman an encouraging smile to go on.

“I do, I think. But I mainly came to Korea because my geges are here and they seem to like it.” Tao discloses. Seeing Jongin’s confused stare, he explains, “My _hyungs_. Lu Han, Yixing, and Yifan. I’ve known them since I was little.”

“And you came here because of them? Your parents let you?”

“They didn’t object.” Tao shrugs, then chortles a silvery laugh, “I know it seems weird, but Lu Han and Yifan enrolled and talked so much about how different and exciting Seoul was. Then Yixing was next. It only seemed natural to come here too.”

“You must be close,” Jongin murmurs. “To follow them a country away.”

Tao hums out a nod, and the silence follows on.

Suppressing a sigh and accepting his fate, Jongin looks back at the window, to the streets of a nightly Seoul.

October will officially mark Jongin’s fifth year living in Seoul. However, it still amazes him how he never really stops discovering the city he now calls home. For some reason, tonight he finds the mostly polluted and too big city delicate and intriguing, if only for a moment, at least. He looks at the fast blurs of honking cars, the street vendors, and bright buildings, and it’s all very mundane and something he’s seen a million times, but, Jongin supposes, there are people like Zitao, or Lu Han, or Yixing and Yifan, that come from other countries just to see and live the Seoul nights. He knows he would find Beijing exciting and fun, and wonders for a moment, if Lu Han would find it mundane and boring.

“Jongin, _Jongin_.” He hears Zitao says a bit too frantically and a bit too whispered. He turns to look at his companion, who, for some reason, is looking wide-eyed and _scared_.

“What’s wrong?” he asks confused.

Tao’s eyes surreptitiously point at the front of the bus, where a single man is boarding the vehicle. “That-that man…I swear I saw a—”

Before Tao can say whatever it is he saw, the newcomer shouts, loud and clear.

“ _Nobody moves_.” The man says, finally taking out a small pistol he hid inside his hoodie. He turns to the already alert driver and points at him. “ _You_. You don’t drive or I’ll shoot. And _you_ ,” he turns to the passengers who have already started a turmoil, scared, “You don’t move or I’ll shoot.”

Jongin can only stare at the man, cold blood running through his veins. This has never happened before to him, it’s only things that happen in the news, on the movies, on the books he likes to read, it’s not—

“Put everything of value in this bag. _Everything_. Nobody resists, everybody shuts up and I go on my way, understood?” the man threatens again, slowly walking towards each and every one of the passengers.

Jongin quickly takes out his wallet, which he knows it’s not of much value since it’s only so much money a university student carries around, but he still takes it out nonetheless. He also gets ready to hand over his cellphone. For a fleeting moment he wonders if he could get away with hiding it behind his seat or by putting it inside his shoe, but decides not risk it. He really doesn’t want to get his brains blown out. It is then that he remembers that Tao is sitting next to him and turns to silently face him, to see how he is coping.

Jongin almost has another heart attack just by seeing Tao’s face. It is completely drained of color, his hands are trembling and his forehead is beginning to accumulate drops of cold sweat. Jongin knows he must not look good either, but Tao’s condition worries him. He just wants this to be over and get out of here fast.

The man is still a few paces away from there and Jongin grabs Tao’s hand, squeezing tightly. “It’s ok, it’s gonna be over soon.”

Tao doesn’t respond but squeezes back so Jongin supposes he isn’t about to faint.

Everything _should_ go smooth and quick and painless, but of course that’s not a thing that happens in Huang Zitao’s and Kim Jongin’s life, apparently.

Before it is Tao’s and Jongin’s turn to put their belongings on the bag, the man goes to the small woman sitting across from them, the one with the little girl.

He shoves the bag in front of her, wordlessly motioning her to put everything she has of value.

“Please, please.” She starts, tears already spilling from her red eyes, “It was payday today, we need it. I’ll give you my phone and everything else, but _please_.”

Jongin’s heart starts beating even faster and clenches his eyes; he just really wants this lady to be quiet and keep her child safe.

“Go cry to someone else. Now put the goddamn money on the bag, or I’ll swear you won’t like it if you don’t.”

 _Please lady_ , thinks Jongin, _please_ _just do it_.

“I’m begging you—”

“Did I fucking stutter?”

And suddenly Jongin’s heart drops to his stomach. The clammy hand he was holding seconds ago is gone and it takes a few seconds for him to realize that fucking Tao has stood up, _right in front of a crazy man with a gun_.

“It’s ok, I’ll pay for her, just leave her.” Jongin doesn’t take his wide eyes off Tao for one second. How is this the same guy from just a few minutes ago?

Tao’s voice is stable and loud, his posture is straight and his head is held high. If Jongin hadn’t seen Tao cry last week when a cockroach flew past his hair, he would even be scared of him. Sadly, he can see his friend’s hand trembling from a mile away.

“Who the fuck asked you?” the man turns around. At least, Jongin thinks, the attention is now away from the woman and her daughter. Unfortunately, it is now on his very dumb and sensible friend.

As the man walks up to Tao, visibly angry, Jongin can only mutter _stupid, stupid, stupid_ , like a mantra, hoping that the man just trips and dies or something before actually getting to murder Tao.

He doesn’t know if Tao’s stupidity is perhaps contagious, or if it’s something they both ate before boarding the bus, but before Jongin can stop himself, he too stands up and hovers protectively next to Tao. He vaguely wonders if the rest of the rest passengers think he is an idiot.

“Listen man, we don’t wanna fight. We’ll give you what we have, just—” Jongin interrupts.

“Is this a fucking debate circle?” the man now shouts, spit flying from his mouth and gun still in hand.

It all happens in less than a second, but one minute he is facing the man, and the next he feels a strong arm around his neck, pulling him forward. He can hear the small lady and some of the other passengers scream, but it all seems so far away, like a blur. He can feel the strong hold of the stranger, but Jongin doesn’t even try to escape, not when the image of a gun is still engraved on him.

“You all shut up!” the man screams once again, obviously losing his temper at each of the annoying passengers and wanna-be-heroes. “Just do what I fucking told you in the beginning and this little shit doesn’t get hurt.”

And that’s when he feels the pressure of cold metal on the back of his skull.

His life flashes before his eyes, or at least he guesses that’s how it’s supposed to be, but for some reason he cannot unsee the image of Tao’s face crying next to that flying cockroach. So much for 19 years of age.

The man continues walking across the narrow bus corridor, dragging Jongin with him, who lets out an embarrassing whimper, but can’t say much other than that.

Jongin now knows this is how he’s going to die. Idiotically trying to save a little girl and Sehun’s stupid boyfriend, but somehow that’s not all that bad considering he could’ve died a horrible death like pulmonary fibrosis or cancer or something equally as painful. The only thing he regrets is that he’s going to do it on a stinky Seoul city bus and that he never did get laid by—

_Whack!_

There’s a quick crack and a few gasps and suddenly, the man’s grip on Jongin gets loose. He’s seeing a lot of stars and his hands go straight to the back of his head, as if to check if he really is free.

He doesn’t have a clue on what happened, but when he turns around, the last thing he expects to see is Huang Zitao with a foot up the assaulter’s head, who is now lying unconscious on the floor.

Jongin hoarse voice gets stuck on his throat, the adrenaline still rushing throughout his body. “What the fuck?” Is all he manages to say.

Tao gulps, his face stricken with as much surprise as Jongin’s is. His hands are still trembling. “I know wushu?”

The police arrives ten minutes too long.

They don’t get questioned, which Jongin is thankful for, but are quickly ushered off the bus. He seems to realize they’re pretty much stranded since no buses circulate the area. With a sigh, Jongin sits on the cold pavement, trying to calm himself down. Tao, who’s been eerily quiet, follows suit and plops down next to him.

“So. That happened.” The other boys thinly says. He’s doing a lot better than what Jongin thought he’d be, but he can still that Tao’s eyes are glossy and that he keeps sniffing every few seconds.

Jongin wants to mention how he almost died, but the first thing he says is, “You know wushu.”

Tao nods sheepishly, knees drawn up to his chest and dragging a single finger over the dirty cement, drawing imaginary figures. “I’ve trained since I was seven.”

It’s a random thought, but Jongin voices it, “I’ve trained ballet since I was seven too.”

A small grin adorns Tao’s face. “That’s really cool.”

The cold Seoul air hits their face once more.

Jongin shakes his head and smiles, “I don’t think ballet could help me take down a criminal.”

“It’s still badass.” Tao shrugs. Then, in a much smaller voice, “Thank you, by the way.”

Jongin looks up. “For what?”

“For helping me out,” the other boy starts, “even though you were scared shitless.”

“Hey,” Jongin laughs, “You were the one looking like a ghost!”

Tao sighs, “I know, not the best of my moments.”

“Thank _you_ , Zitao. I think you saved my life tonight.” Jongin says instead. Tao gives him a radiant smile. The ones he always gives Sehun or Junmyeon or sometimes even Baekhyun. It feels warm being on the receptive side of one, he likes it.

It’s getting a little mushy for him though.

“It’s late. Do you still want to go to the noraebang?” he sighs instead.

 “I think I’m tired, but I really need a drink.”

“Ok,” he nods and stands up, stretching his legs, “But no more buses for now.”

Tao laughs. “Let’s take a taxi, _please_.”

Jongin can’t agree more.

//

“ _Eolguldo shabang, shabang_ ,” Junmyeon croons from the tiny stage, “ _Mommaedo shabang, shabang. Modeungeosi shabang, shabang_.” As he tries to dance along, the student union member loses his footing and almost trips onto the floor, but Junmyeon either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care, because he keeps on shaking his shoulders to the beat and singing almost perfectly.

Jongdae nearly spits out his drink from laughing too much. “He’s so embarrassing. Are you sure you’re filming this, Yeol?”

Chanyeol giggles. “Obviously. This is golden blackmail, I swear.”

“Why does he even like trot so—” Baekhyun starts, but is interrupted by Junmyeon who has stepped down the stage, mic still in hand.

“C’mon everybody, _sing_!” he shouts and thrusts the microphone onto Yixing, who by the looks of it, is not boding much better than Junmyeon.

It is perfectly clear Yixing doesn’t know the lyrics to the song, but that definitely doesn’t stop him from loudly mumbling in harmony into the microphone.

“That’s another shot!” Baekhyun shouts. He can hear a few grumbles but everyone still complies. Including Junmyeon, who steals a glass from Yifan and downs it on one gulp, then continues singing and spinning around the tables.

Baekhyun snorts into his drink and mumbles, “We’re getting so pissed.”

“ _Shabang_!” Junmyeon finishes, up in the stage once again, and gives a dramatic bow. Only Yixing is applauding enthusiastically and Yifan claps once, confused.

“Minseok’s next!” shouts Jongdae, “C’mon Minseok-hyung, you can do it!!”

Yixing whoops in support.

Along with maybe Yifan, Minseok seems to be the only one boding well enough considering the actual amount of shots they have taken. And Baekhyun suspects Yifan is only doing so well because of he’s half giant.

Although, as he sees his own half giant, Chanyeol, trying to lick his elbow thanks to Junmyeon’s taunts, he thinks perhaps that’s not it.

Minseok coughs but stands up either way, it’s not like he’s actually completely sober.

Just like Minseok is one the most clear-headed ones, Lu Han is one of the drunkest ones, even rivaling Yixing’s and Junmyeon’s dazed minds.

“Wait,” Lu Han shouts, probably louder than he intended, and tugs at Minseok’s sleeve. “Wait, wait, Kim Minseok.”

Minseok turns around, but rather than completely annoyed, he seems amicably amused at Lu Han’s drunken state. “Now what?”

“Let’s do a duet.” He hiccups.

Minseok raises an eyebrow in question, and Lu Han continues, dangling himself like an octopus around Minseok’s arms.

“I _doubt_ that you’re better than me at singing.”

“How do you know I’m not good?” Minseok says, trying to get Lu Han off him

“I mean, you are probably good. Because you’re _Kim Minseok_ , asshole.” He slurs with squinted eyes, then gives a short laugh. “But you can’t possibly beat me at singing too.”

“Too?”

Baekhyun stares in curiosity as Minseok obliges, seeing no escape to his predicament, and is dragged to the stage by a laughing Lu Han. He turns to Jongdae and takes another shot. The warm buzz from before is cooling down, only for a dizzying sensation to take its place. “We’ll let them play for now. Start warming up, though.”

He feels his buzzing phone from his pocket and sees a text from Jongin saying that they’ll be a little late, but honestly, Baekhyun had forgotten about Tao and Jongin. He feels a little desperate for Kyungsoo to arrive though, it’s been a long time since they’ve performed a trio along with Jongdae.

He looks back at the stage when he hears Minseok’s voice fill the room and soon, Lu Han’s echoes as well.

Minseok seems a tad timid and is trying to look the ceiling rather than the front, but that might be because Lu Has is aggressively staring him down as he sings. Which might not be the best idea since the lyrics are pretty romantic and Baekhyun doubts that’s what Lu Han is trying to convey to Minseok, but oh, well. Jongdae is now filming just in case they need this blackmail later on.

“ _I really, really like you. I love you that I’m going mad_.” Lu Han sings aggressively into the microphone, glaring at his partner. Minseok is definitely a good singer, which absolutely makes no sense whatsoever, Lu Han thinks.

It makes no sense because he’s _already_ better than Lu Han at FIFA, he’s cuter and even more young-looking than Lu Han, he’s friendlier than Lu Han, he has abs, unlike Lu Han. And possibly, maybe, he could be a better striker than Lu Han.  So it wouldn’t make sense for Kim Minseok to be a better singer than him.

He doesn’t have much time to delve on it though, because then, finally, Minseok turns to him and sings with a small thumbs up, as if giving approval.

“ _I really like you too. In truth, my heart got a little attached_.”

And huh.

Now that he’s actually paying attention, he notices that yes, Minseok sounds good, but they _, ~Luhan & Minseok~ _sound really good _together_ , their high notes harmonizing particularly well. In fact, they sound _too_ good. Lu Han wasn’t lying when he boasted he was a damn good singer.  He looks back at his group of friends and can almost _feel_ the angry vein popping from Jongdae’s temple. He smirks and keeps on singing, looking at the lyrics on the screen.

They finish off the song almost perfectly and he’s pretty sure he’s made the rest of the guys drink up some more. He turns to look at Minseok, and heck, he’s too drunk, but he gives him a laughing smile that the other fourth-year returns with a gummy one of his own.

“Ok,” Minseok admonishes with a laugh, “You’re really good. Your voice almost made me believe you’re not an asshole.”

For a second time that day, Lu Han realizes that he makes a pretty darn good team with Minseok and that doesn’t make him as angry as it should. Perhaps it’s the alcohol.

Maybe, if he—

“Ok, that was _cute_.” Baekhyun interrupts loudly, finishing the last remnants of his glass. He hiccups and squints his eyes at the pair still onstage. “Jongdae,” he calls.

“I’m ready, Byun,” Jongdae slurs.

“Pah, paaah.” Baekhyun mouths as Jongdae does a lip trill.

Lu Han may be a little (read: hella) drunk right now, but even he can tell those two idiots are being ridiculous.

“You don’t like competition, do you?” Lu Han lazily asks Baekhyun as he hands him the microphone.

“Nuh-uh.” The other boy shakes his head. “Errrbody knows I’m the Noraebang King.”

“C’mon Byun Baekhyun! C’mon Kim Jongdae!” Chanyeol stands up and cups his hands around his mouth. “Those are my friends.” He says to Yifan, who is too busy trying to shut Junmyeon up for whatever reason.

Somewhere to the side, Yixing is trying to get everybody to do the wave. Lu Han shrugs and sits next to him, helping him.

“Alright, listen up motherfuckers.” Jongdae mumbles into the microphone, “You all drink whenever I hit one of my god-sent high notes. Understood?”

He continues, “Cus if I see one of you—”

“ _The man I loved so dearly, has deserted me_.” Baekhyun starts.

“Waaae! Baekhyun!! Don’t start without me!” Jongdae whines into the microphone. It hurts everyone’s ears.

“Just sing.” Baekhyun hisses.

At the end, everyone ends up having to drink five times throughout the song, but somewhere along the way, Lu Han has run off to bathroom and Minseok ends up stealing his drinks. The rest are getting worse as well, and for a fleeting moment of clarity Baekhyun wonders how the hell is he going to deal with his hangover tomorrow morning.

After the self-dubbed BaekDae, Yifan and Chanyeol go upstage. They sing some Jay Z rap song that Baekhyun honestly doesn’t understand but claps along cheerfully because both boys look too tall and gangly and drunk and it’s hilarious.

“He’s really good, huh?” Yixing says from next to him, and fuck, had he been sitting there all along? Maybe he’s even more drunk than expected. “Your friend Chanyeol, I mean.”

It takes a couple of seconds too to process what Yixing is babbling on about. “Yeah, his rap is really good, I think. I mean I don’t know anything about rap, but it sounds good.” Baekhyun relents.

Yixing hums happily, with droopy eyes, and they both continue to watch their friends. After Yifan leaves the stage, Chanyeol says he wants another round and no one objects, mostly because they either want to keep on drinking or are fast asleep on a table (i.e. Lu Han).

Chanyeol brings up his guitar and Baekhyun realizes he’s going to actually sing. It’s not like he’s the best of singers, at least compared to other people in the room, but he’s always found Chanyeol’s raspy, deep tone reassuring and warm.

The song starts and it’s mellow and calm and pretty, he thinks, a drastic change from the previous one. Junmyeon and Jongdae have stood up and are slow dancing with each other. Baekhyun snaps a picture.

“Oh, I’ve seen him around.” Yixing asks suddenly, facing towards the door. “Who’s he?”

Baekhyun follows his sight only to find Kyungsoo slowly entering the place, a black coat a size too big hanging of off him and a slightly red nose from the cold. As always, he looks adorable.

“Kyungsoo-yah, over here!” he sings-songs with a wave at his friend.

Kyungsoo spots him, and, after a judging stare at everyone in the room, he walks up to him. “It seems you guys drank more than you should’ve.” He greets, half his face still hiding behind a scarf.

“Just a little.” Baekhyun laughs a little too loud.

“You’re drunk.”

“Just a little.” He repeats.

Kyungsoo sighs and takes off his coat, then glances at Yixing and gives a curt nod.

“Kyungsoo, this is Yixing. He has very nice hands and a very nice neck.” Baekhyun lets the alcohol speak.

“You were staring at my hands?” Yixing slurs, but he doesn’t really care.

Baekhyun gives a dismissive shrug. “Yixing, this is Kyungsoo. He’s short and mean, but he has nice lips. Doesn’t he?”

Yixing looks up and seems to ponder for a moment, then agrees. “Yeah. They’re very nice, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo resists the urge to both blush and hit their pretty, little drunk heads. Instead, he looks at the front, where Chanyeol is almost finishing his song.

“He sounds good.” Kyungsoo adds.

“Oh, yeah. He was rapping as well earlier on.”

“Did you sing already?”

Baekhyun preens, “Yes, but we can go again. We saved the best for last.”

Kyungsoo nods and takes a seat in front of them. “Is that…is that Jongdae trying to kiss Junmyeon?”

It is. Half way through the song Jongdae decided to get a little handsy, but a drunk Junmyeon is still an eomma Junmyeon and the older boy’s done everything to keep the horny Jongdae at bay.

“Did you take a picture?” Kyungsoo asks.

“Of course.” Baekhyun shows off his phone. He has blackmail to last him for months. “By the way, where’s the beautiful Oh Sehun?”

“He decided to stay. He wanted more studying. He’s a good kid.”

“Of course he is, he’s my protégé!”

“Please leave him alone.” Kyungsoo frowns, “I’ve assessed he’s still salvageable. Where’s Jongin, by the way?”

“Oh.” Baekhyun sobers up for a moment and pouts. “He texted me saying he was going to arrive late. Although... that was an hour ago. I don’t know when he’ll be coming.”

“I’ll call him.” Kyungsoo frowns. Jongin and Tao had left two hours before him.

“Look at you. A responsible _hyung_.”

Kyungsoo lightly punches his shoulder but takes out his phone nonetheless. However, before he can even dial, a shirtless Jongdae crawls up to him from behind.

“Here, Soo, drink this.” He waves two small shot glasses at him. “Tequila, your favorite.”

It’s a little hard to resist, but Kyungsoo shoos him off.

“C’mon, Do, you’re gonna need it if you wanna sing with us next round. Besides… _tequila, your favorite_.” He repeats.

Kyungsoo twists his mouth in annoyance, but doesn’t need much more convincing. He downs them both easily enough, the strong liquid burning his throat.

“Yes! Let’s get Kyungsoo pissed!” Jongdae screams. Baekhyun wonders exactly how many times he’s screamed that night, but probably too much.

And so, when Tao and Jongin finally arrive, it is to find Baekhyun, Kyungsoo, and Jongdae in the middle of a dramatic rendition of _Hot Times_ , trying to up each other with runs, adlibs and high notes and it’s just a little too much.

Junmyeon is starting to tear up, taking out an embroidered handkerchief out of who knows where. Yixing is waving a lighter around, and Chanyeol is on top of a table convincing everyone to join him. Minseok is trying to draw a penis on Lu Han’s sleeping self, and Yifan is stoically pretending to be anywhere else that is not here.

Somehow, this is not the craziest thing that’s happened to Tao and Jongin tonight.

//

It’s a pretty Friday morning. The sky is a clear blue and the weather feels like the perfect autumn is not too far away from the city of Seoul.

But to be honest, Do Kyungsoo, doesn’t give a rat’s ass that particular Friday morning.

Kyungsoo’s head hurts too much, he cannot stand any amount of light, and his throat feels raw and coarse. He should never, ever go along to any of his friend’s plans. Ever.

He vaguely remembers saying this last time.

Kyungsoo just wants to sleep all day and maybe die for a couple of hours after that. So who the fuck is texting him at 7 in the morning when he doesn’t have to be up until 11?

Who the fuck.

He wants to throw his buzzing cellphone away and go back to sleep, away from the cold reality of a hangover, but thinks better of it.

The phone’s light is too bright so he lowers it to zero. Somehow, that is still too bright. He reads the short messages with squinting eyes.

_hyung_

_i passed!!!_

_i got an 88!! <3_

_i’ll buy u some bubble tea later, ok?_

_thank you, hyung :)_

Despite his headache, Kyungsoo smiles.

//

  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> songs mentioned in this fic:  
> \- shabang shabang by park hyun bin (sang by suho)  
> \- love day by yoseob & eunji (sang by xiumin and luhan)  
> \- i really didn't know by bbh and chen! (sang by bbh and chen)  
> \- you are by pcy (sang by pcy)  
> \- hot times by sm the ballad (sang by chen, dyo & bbh)
> 
> thanks so much for reading!!


	5. the exorcism of byun baekhyun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter five is here!  
> this is a fun chapter, i hope you guys enjoy <3 thank you guys for your support; every comment and kudos makes me swell with pride :') 
> 
> on a sadder note, chapter six probably won't be posted next week :( i hope you guys understand! 
> 
> ps. no one has guessed correctly the third one-sided couple. :)

 

**{chapter five}**

///

Soon enough, hot, dry air and summer rain makes way for weltering leaves, cool breezes and pumpkin spices. Soon, the landscape turns maroon with hues of red and orange. Autumn has arrived to Seoul.

That thought puts Minseok in a particular gracious mood: fall has always been his favorite season, not only because of the pumpkin spice lattes Starbucks has to offer, which he loves more than he probably should, but because out of all the seasons, autumn feels the most stable, the most peaceful. And Minseok likes that, stability and peace.

Which is exactly how he is _not_ feeling right now.

He restrains himself from sending a scowl to Tao and Sehun, who are sitting at the dinner table a couple of meters from him. After all, the younger boys are studying, as it has become routine for the past few weeks, and Minseok has to commend them for that.

It doesn’t mean all that nonsense algebra talk from the other two students is helping _him_ concentrate on his own book, a yellowed copy of _The Tipping Point_ he checked out from the library yesterday morning. He’s had the book for two days and can’t get past page 35, so Minseok, understandably, is freaking the fuck out since the book’s essay is due next week and, honestly, he’s on the verge of failing sociology.

With that thought, he squashes down his instinct to be polite, and growls at the obnoxiously tall youngsters, “You two, keep it quiet or I’m kicking you out.”

“I live here.” Tao looks up from his notebook, Sehun looks on curiously.

“You’re being too loud and I need to finish this book.” Minseok stares back. He pretends he doesn’t see the way Tao pouts. He’s not completely immune to the younger student’s natural aegyo, but he can stand his ground a lot better than their other dorm mates, most notably Yixing and Lu Han. “Why don’t you study at Sehun-ah’s place?”

“We can’t,” Sehun replies nonchalantly. He takes a loud sip from a soft pink colored bubble tea. Minseok resists the urge to roll his eyes. “Chanyeol is using our only table for some stupid project of his and Junmyeon is studying with Wu Yifan and took over our room. Although, I don’t exactly know why he would lock—”

“And Sehun just _really_ wants to see Lu Han.” Tao interrupts. “He’s been freaking out since Lu Han actually remembered his name last week.”

Minseok raises an eyebrow, curiosity piqued, “Lu Han? He’s not here. He usually arrives at—”

“Six, I know.” Sehun grins.

“Please ignore his creepiness, hyung.” Tao mentions, “He’s not very smart and seems to think Lu Han is his soulmate.”

Minseok can’t control the short guffaw that escapes his mouth. He feels a little bad, but the idea of someone being infatuated with the grumpy fourth-year is unexpected, to say the least.

Sehun frowns at him, “What? Don’t laugh! He’s my future boyfriend.” He states with confidence.

“Sorry, sorry. You do you, Oh Sehun. Just don’t get murdered by that man, please.” Minseok smiles, “But now you let me study, or _I’ll_ be the one murdering you guys.”

Tao grumbles while Sehun sighs. But both boys soon turn around, keeping their voices just above a whisper.

Minseok goes back to his book. This chapter talks about three types of people, he reads, the connectors, the mavens, and the salesmen. According to the book, the connectors are people who can gather friends and acquaintances easily and quickly, on the other hand, the mavens are people who can gather a lot information diligently, and the salesmen are the type who can convince and persuade other people of almost anything.

Minseok thinks he fits neither of those.

He thinks back to Tao and Sehun, stealing a glance at them. He reasons that they’re obviously connectors. And Kim Jongdae, he ponders for a moment, him too. With his wits and calm demeanor, Yixing is probably a maven; and there is no doubt on his mind that Yifan, although sometimes clumsy and distracted, is a salesman.

Minseok doesn’t know how to categorize Lu Han either.

He’s not particularly smart, nor an innate leader like Yifan. And he’s definitely not the friendliest of people, that is for sure. But he definitely has something, Minseok muses, an intense energy around him that you can’t help but notice. Lu Han shines, but not in the cute, approachable way glitter does. It’s more like one of those scary comets that travel a million miles per hour, with so much intensity and fury that will probably burn you if you’re not too careful.

He thinks back to Sehun’s confession from minutes ago and thinks that maybe he can see the appeal. Like a moth drawn to a burning light. It’s not something Minseok personally would go for, but maybe some crazy people like Oh Sehun like that sort of stuff.

He looks back at his book, he’s procrastinated too much now. With a sigh, he closes the book as well his eyes, giving up for the day.

He thinks a nap would be nice right now, especially if he plans on going to dorm’s 308 movie night. He can feel the low murmurs of Tao and Sehun slowly lulling him to sleep, he’s properly knackered and the—

“What’s it like?” Sehun calls out suddenly. The sleeping blond looks up with wide eyes in alarm.

“Being in love, I mean.” Seeing Minseok’s expression, the younger boy clarifies. “Minseok must know, right? Since you’re older.”

“What are you talking about?” Minseok asks back, standing up from the bean bag he’d been sitting on.

“Tao and I were talking,” Sehun continues, “And, it’s not that we’ve never been in love. But how do we know we _are_ in love?”

“What?” Minseok tries to follow. “Weren’t you studying algebra?”

“We’re taking a break,” Tao dismisses, “But it’s true, right? It’s impossible to know.”

“I have no clue.” Minseok shrugs and stifles a yawn. “But I don’t think it’d be as dramatic as it sounds. Maybe you just know.”

“Like me.” Sehun wonders.

“Something like love at first sight?” Tao scrunches his face.

“Yes.”

“No.”

Sehun and Minseok reply in unison.

Minseok laughs it off and pats Sehun on the shoulder. “Ok, maybe for people like you it works.”

“What works?” a new voice surges from behind them. Lu Han throws his keys on the table and takes off his beanie in a swift motion, his brown locks looking, for some reason, purposely styled to look messy. Minseok takes note of the acrid smell of pure _infatuation_ coming off from Sehun. It’s hilarious.

He also notices the two cups of coffee Lu Han is holding in each hand, he must’ve passed by the café.

Lu Han frowns. “Here.” He thrusts one of the cups onto Minseok’s hands, eyes not meeting his.

Minseok wonders if this time the drink is poisoned, but grabs it anyways. It’s not likely, he thinks, since the last four drinks Lu Han has brought him over the course of the month hadn’t been so.

“Thank you.” He shares a small smile towards the taller boy.

“They were, like, buy one get one free.” Lu Han dismisses, still eternally scowling, “Probably because they taste so bad.”

“Probably.” Minseok hums into his drink.

“Lu-ge!” Tao exclaims from the table. “We were waiting for you.”

“Were you now?” Lu Han turns from Minseok and towards the other boys. Sehun is sitting considerably straighter and his face goes from dumb college student, to dumb college student who has over 500k followers on Instagram because of his face.

“Tao said you’re good at algebra.” Sehun adds. “Maybe you can help us. Hyung.”

“I suck at algebra.” Lu Han sips his coffee. “But if you give me the rest of your bubble tea, I’ll help you.”

“You’re such a kind soul, Lu Han-hyung.” Sehun continues, “And I bet you’re really good at algebra.”

“Yeah, gege, the best.”

Minseok snorts, but looks on fondly at the maknaes.

He doesn’t mention that he’s probably a hundred times better in algebra than Lu Han.

Sehun probably appreciates it.

//

           

Baekhyun’s favorite season is autumn.

Maybe it’s not Christmas, where he collects gifts here and there, nor his birthday, where he gets gifts _and_ attention. But usually autumn means three things: cozy sweaters, pumpkin pie, and, most importantly, Halloween.

And Halloween usually means one thing too (aside from candy, but he’s given up hope on _that_ since people don’t really like giving candy to grown men, even if said men go dressed up as a cute puppy). Ghosts.

_Dooo-doo. Dooo-doo. Dooo-doo. Doo-doo-doo!_

A shrill version of the ghostbusters’ theme song echoes from Baekhyun’s pocket, scaring a nearby girl, who then eyes him with a glare. Baekhyun smiles, not exactly apologetically.

“Hello?” he asks into the phone even though he’d seen the caller id.

“Baekhyunie.” A soft voice acknowledges from the other side of the line. “I’m here, like I said, looking for, _you know._ ”

“And? Is it there? Have you found it?  Please tell me that you did.” Baekhyun questions into the phone while still making his way to the dorms. He’s paying more attention to the conversation than to where he’s going.

“Move over, asshole!” A guy in a bicycle almost runs over him. Baekhyun doesn’t notice.

“Sorry, Baekhyunie.” There’s a sigh. “I guess no luck today. Maybe…next year?”

The small boy whines, barely missing getting hit by a soccer ball flying right past him. He still doesn’t notice.

“Ah. It’s ok, Yixing.” He finally says dejected, but resigned. “Maybe next year, I guess.”

“Sorry. I will keep on looking, just in case. See you.”

“Ok, see you later. I guess today’s plans won’t get cancelled. Call me if anything happens.”

The call ends and Baekhyun looks at the box on his hands. Damn it.

“Next year.” he grumbles to himself, “I’ll have to give this back today, then.”

He turns around just as quickly as he had been walking, and makes trek towards his new destination. He puts the Ouija box safely under his arm.

//

“Yifan, it’s been more than a month. We can’t keep him anymore.”

“I know, I know.” Yifan says, a hand rubbing over his forehead, obviously frustrated, “Last week I had to keep Choa from doing dormitory inspection.”

Junmyeon raises an eyebrow, impressed, “How’d you do that?”

“I might’ve flirted. Doesn’t matter, you know how I do.”

“Oh my god. Ok, whatever.” The short boy rolls his eyes, “What matters right now is this _cat_ ,” he points towards the ball of fluff currently napping atop of Yixing’s pillow. “And what exactly are we going to do with him.”

“You know,” Yifan starts, looking at Lucky, “Aside from Yixing, the rest of my dorm mates have been too dumb to notice there’s a cat living in my room. Maybe he can—”

“ _Yifan_.”

“Ok, ok,” the blond raises his hands in mock-surrender. “But we still haven’t found a home for him yet. Just this _one_ week, Junmyeon.”

Junmyeon sighs and refrains from looking at the sleeping cat. Ultimately, he fails. Lucky looks so cute and sleepy and is probably leaving a ball of hair on Yixing’s pillow, so it’s not really like Junmyeon particularly _wants_ to get rid of him.

“We have this one week, ok? If we don’t find him a home by then, we’ll have to take him into an animal shelter.”

Yifan nods, his large hands cupping to grab the now bigger and fatter cat. They’ve been feeding him well, what with Junmyeon only wanting to give him expensive pedigree pouches of food. And sometimes Yifan, even if it’s not the cat’s lunch time, gives him a piece or two of beef.

(And neither of them knows, but Yixing’s been feeding Lucky some extra tuna).

“You’re gonna have to start asking your dorm mates if anyone wants a cat, you know?” Yifan adds.

Junmyeon reluctantly nods. “Yeah, Ok. You do the same. Just…don’t tell them why until they agree.”

There’s a sudden knock on the door.

“Yifan?” Lu Han shouts from the other side, voice irritated.

Junmyeon and Yifan look at each other, alarmed. Junmyeon protectively holds on to Lucky, as if Lu Han could come inside any moment and eat him. After a second of silence, Yifan responds.

“What now?”

“Tao just broke the faucet. Literally. Please come help us, we’re—”

“—it wasn’t my fault gege! Jongdae was the one who pulled the—”

“ _Nooo_. Wasn’t me, shut up Zitao, stop blaming me when—”

“Okay, okay! I’ll be out in a minute!” Yifan rubs his temple. Junmyeon and Lucky amusedly look on.  

From the other side of the room, after Tao and Jongdae go back to the kitchen, Lu Han can’t help but mutter under his breath.

“Seriously, what _are_ they doing locked up?”

  
//

Autumn is one Kyungsoo’s favorite seasons.

Mainly because there’s nothing going on during the couple of months before the hectic winter comes, and in turn, that means mostly everyone stays at home. Which _then_ means there are less people to bother Kyungsoo.

It’s a very nice season and the only other time that can perhaps beat it is his hibernation period during the Christmas holidays.

But, as far as actual school seasons go, autumn is definitely his favorite.

One of the few downsizes of autumn, though—and perhaps the biggest one—is that it’s also the season of Halloween.

It’s not that Kyungsoo particularly despises it. He can do well enough if there’s not an excessive amount of wandering kids knocking on his door asking for candy every five minutes. Besides, that was back in Bucheon; there won’t be any kids going around campus.

What he _does_ dislike, and always has, is Baekhyun’s creepy affinity for it.

“Ok, how about the Blair Witch Project?” Baekhyun muses with a half-smile.

“I don’t care.” Is all Kyungsoo deadpans from the kitchen. He’s baking.

“What about The Doll Master?” Chanyeol adds. He and Baekhyun are sitting on the floor going through Chanyeol’s movie collection, feet bare and pajamas ready. On the other hand, Kyungsoo is still wearing an apron while waiting for his pumpkin muffins to bake.

“Park, we’ve seen that movie a hundred times, I swear.”

“It’s a classic.”

“What we need is something scary.” He flips through the DVDs. “I’m thinking The Ring.”

“Now you’re just being ridiculous.” Chanyeol takes the boxes from him, searching for a particular one. “I don’t think we can go wrong with The Exorcist.”

“I personally think that The Nightmare before Christmas is a Halloween must-see.” Junmyeon finally speaks up from the biggest sofa. He’s half covered in pillows and a plushy bunny.

“Oh, my god, Junmyeon.” Baekhyun says exasperated, turning to look at his older friend, “You _promised_ you’d watch a scary movie with us this time around.”

“Jack Skellington is plenty scary.”

“Bunshinsaba.” Kyungsoo says, blowing the steam off from his brown-orange pastries.

“What was that, Kyungsoo-yah?”

“We should watch Bunshinsaba.” Kyungsoo repeats louder, finally looking up from across the counter. “It’s sort of scary, right?”

“Yeah, I like it.” Chanyeol shrugs, “Bunshinsaba and The Exo—”

“Not The Exorcist, please.” Junmyeon pleads.

“Junmyeon, get in the spirit of Halloween! It’s only once a year!” Chanyeol smiles, walking up to his friend before giving a reassuring pat.

Kyungsoo tries to help. “It’s not like any of that is real, right? Just relax.”

“ _Actually_ ,” Baekhyun starts, “Halloween is notoriously known for having a great amount of paranormal activity. Many think that in this particular night, the door, so to speak, between the dead and the living opens up. I read in a book once that witches— _real witches_ , by the way—always made sure to practice satanic rituals specifically on Halloween night. That’s because—”

“Shut up. Baekhyun.” Kyungsoo frowns after a glance at a trembling Junmyeon. “He’s shitting himself.”

“It’s ok, hyung!” Baekhyun quickly adds, “As long you don’t go out _looking_ for it, nothing will happen.” Kyungsoo will ignore the wistful way Baekhyun says it.

“Wait, why were you reading about satanic rituals?” Chanyeol asks instead.

Before Baekhyun can reply, thank god, Sehun and Jongin barge through the main door.

“We’re back.” Jongin cheers, “And we got the popcorn you oh, so kindly requested, hyungs.”

“Heechul was quite generous and gave us five whole bags from his stash.” Sehun adds, doffing his shoes and scarf. “Now we owe him a few favors, but nothing we can’t manage.”

“You’ll probably regret that,” Junmyeon shudders.

“Excellent job, maknaes.” Baekhyun high-fives Jongin who returns it with half the excitement. “With this, Kyungsoo’s muffins, and whatever Yifan and the rest bring, we’ll pig out successfully.”

“If Jongin and Lu Han don’t end up devouring everything, you mean.” Sehun adds, making himself comfortable next to Junmyeon and his fort of blankets and pillows. Chanyeol follows him, only to be stopped by the younger boy, who puts the rest of his legs up on the sofa, blocking him a seat.

“Wha—”

“Sorry,” Sehun says, looking absolutely not sorry at all, “These are reserved for my clique.”

Chanyeol flabbergasts, “You little demon-child, I swear to god, Sehun, I’m going to f—”

“ _Chanyeol_.” Junmyeon chastises him, “Stop being so rude. There’s other places where you can seat.”

The tallest boy scrunches his nose and represses the urge to stick out his tongue at the freshman, who looks seconds away from smirking.

“Fine, whatever. It’s not like I wanted to sit next to you making heart eyes at Lu Han throughout the whole night.”

“Look who—”

There’s a knock on the door and Baekhyun quickly turns away from whatever discussion his friends are having. He can already _feel_ the stink of whining and egomania radiating from the other side of the door.

“Jongdae!” Baekhyun opens the door, first seeing his friend, in all his high-cheeked glory, and then a small cluster of four other boys huddled behind him.

“Let us through Byun Baekhyun, we come in peace.” Jongdae squawks.

Struggling to see from behind a taller Yifan, Tao adds, head peeping out “And we bring chocolate cookies and _saeoo_ chips!”

“Let them through. Huzzah!” Jongin woops.

Baekhyun makes way for the rest of his friends to come in, all chatter and greetings. Their already small living room becomes even tinier. Somehow, Baekhyun likes it even more this way.

Tao, to no one’s surprise, instantly goes towards the The Big Sofa, were the popcorn and cookies are already being opened. He squeezes in between Sehun and Junmyeon, and in a matter of seconds, it seems as if he’s been there for hours.

Minseok and Jongdae seem to be going for the second sofa, a battered, comfortable old thing Chanyeol had bought last year from a dubious American lady. Baekhyun can see Lu Han following Minseok like a magnet, ready to sit next to him, but before he can actually do so, Tao gets ahold of him and drags him towards the last spot on The Big Sofa which, Baekhyun curiously notes, is right next to Oh Sehun.

Lu Han doesn’t seem too thrilled but doesn’t object either, and quickly asks for a bowl of popcorn.

“Don’t eat them all, hyung.” Jongin pouts with grabby hands towards Lu Han, who has begun eating, cheeks filled like a chipmunk.

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes as he sits on the floor atop several blankets, right next to Jongin. “We have enough for everybody. Here.” He shares one of the biggest bowls with the younger boy, who seems complacent enough.

There’s only one more place on the smaller sofa, with Jongdae and Minseok, and he kind of wants to take it, but he knows Chanyeol will chastise him if he does.

“You can sit there, Yifan.” He points at the spot. “Chanyeol and I can sit on the floor and steal Jongin’s popcorn, don’t worry.”

“Nope.” Jongin nearly hisses.

“Jongin-ah,” he pouts and, just like Tao before, squeezes in between Jongin and Kyungsoo. He tries to steal some of Jongin’s popcorn, but before he can actually get bitten by a wild freshman, Chanyeol comes back with Kyungsoo’s muffins and chooses to eat those instead.

“Wait, I only count eleven heads.” Junmyeon speaks up, “Where’s Yixing?”

Baekhyun, mouth full of pumpkin muffin, mumbles, “He’ll get here, just went out. Don’t worry.”

At that, Yifan raises and eyebrow, but doesn’t say anything.

“Alright,” Chanyeol mentions, loud enough to quiet down everyone’s chatter, “We will be watching four movies for our Halloween marathon.”

“Can’t we put a panda documentary instead? I—”

“Nobody wants to see a panda sneeze, how many times have I told you this?” Jongdae butts in.

Baekhyun agrees. “Today is Halloween, goddammit, Zitao. Today is the day in which we honor the monsters and—”

“We’ll watch your stupid movies Baekhyun, just shut up and put them on.” Sehun throws a single popcorn that lands directly onto Baekhyun’s head, then plops onto the ground. Everybody pointedly ignores the fact that Jongin eats it.

“As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted. Which, by the way—

“Do you guys ever shut up?” Minseok finally says.

A silence follows.

Chanyeol coughs into his hands with a small frown, but continues. “We’ll be watching… The Grudge. We continue with The Nightmare Before Christmas, courtesy of Junmyeon, then with Bunshinsaba, and we end with A Tale of Two Sisters.”

“Oh, my god, even _I’m_ gonna wet my pants.” Sehun exclaims.

“Everybody quiet as soon as I turn off the lights.” Yifan stands up, “No more chit-chat. That goes specifically for you two, Zitao and Baekhyun.” he seems to ponder for a moment. “And you, Chanyeol. And you Jongdae.”

“But—”

“I’m gonna make Minseok kick your butt if you don’t.”

During the first movie, everything goes quite smoothly. At least as smoothly as they can get with a crying Tao and a whimpering Junmyeon, but there’s not much they can do about that. Jongin also starts to get a little restless after the popcorn is finished which results in Kyungsoo forcing Baekhyun to share his muffins with Jongin. It almost turns into a squabble until Minseok _coughs,_ and Baekhyun and Jongin ~happily~ share a muffin, like the good ~friends~ they are.

It’s halfway through the second movie (which is definitely a nice break from the horror scenes aka Tao’s crying), that Baekhyun’s shrill cellphone breaks through the silence.

Chanyeol gives him a curious look, but Baekhyun offers him a thumbs up before standing up and walking to his own room.

“Yixing?” he answers, “Where are you? You were supposed to be here hours ago.”

“Baekhyun, I found it.” Is all Yixing says in reply, “I found the house. It _still exists.”_

“Wait, what?” Baekhyun shouts, then reminds himself that he really doesn’t want anyone wondering what he’s doing.

“Turns out I was looking for it on the west side of Seoul. Who knew Korean maps would be so difficult.”

“Yixing concentrate. Are you there right now?”

“Yeah. Wanna come check it out?” Yixing replies non-chalantly.

“Like, right now?”

“Yeah! It’d be fun. And…I kinda don’t know how to get back. There’s no buses or taxis around here.”

Baekhyun whispers back. “How am I supposed to even get there?”

“Ask Junmyeon to drive you.”

“Are you crazy? He might be my friend, but I think he values his life too much to even get near a one-mile radius of a haunted house.”

“Just tell him that Yixing says that we’re real _lucky_ to have him and Yifan as friends.”

“What the hell? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“He’ll understand.”

Baekhyun ponders for a moment. He’s not going to get another chance like this until next Halloween, he thinks. When the spiritual auras are heightened once again and he’s able to meet a real-life ghost.

“Ok, ok, I’ll tell him.” He finally relents. “Don’t go anywhere. The last thing we want is a lost Yixing, wait for us there.”

//

“No.”

“Junmyeon.” Baekyun pleads, “C’mon. It’s Halloween.”

“Yes. And you want me to drive you in the middle of the night to some haunted house. You’re out of your mind.” Junmyeon resolutely replies, taking a seat back on the sofa. Curious eyes from the onlookers follow the conversation carefully.

“But we can’t leave Yixing there! He doesn’t know how to get back.”

Yifan grunts, “I’m going to kill him.”

“It’s not like I’m agreeing with Baekhyun,” Lu Han adds, “But Yixing’s probably going to die if we leave him alone for more than two hours in the middle of Seoul at 1 in the morning. Just saying.”

Baekhyun nods sagely, “See? We love Yixing too much, Junmyeon, we can’t let him die, he’s precious!”

“I don’t particularly care for Yixing getting lost in the middle of the night,” Jongdae walks up to them, last muffin of the night in his hand, “But what I do want to see is that supposedly haunted house.”

“Me too.” Minseok raises his hands in excitement. “I’ve always wanted to see a ghost.”

Lu Han instantly chortles out a laugh, too loud for these hours of the morning, “Yeah, right. I bet you’ll scream like a girl as soon as you step into the house.”

“Don’t start, Lu Han.” Yifan rolls his eyes, “Besides, you’re all just being ridiculous, haunted houses don’t exist.”

“Don’t say that.” Jongin looks wide-eyed, “Then you’ll be the first to die, Yifan-hyung.”

“That’s, like, rule number one in horror movies. Duh.” Sehun rolls his eyes. Beside him, Tao just keeps quiet, lips pursed.

“I say we go,” Chanyeol finally admonishes, putting a hand around his best friend’s shoulders. “We pick up Yixing, and, I don’t know, we look around the house for an hour, then we come back.”

“You all can go and have tea with the ghosts if you want, but I’m not going.” Junmyeon crosses his arms in defiance.

“I stay with hyung!” Tao blurts out, clinging on to Junmyeon’s side.

Junmyeon nods haughtily and pats the younger’s head.

“But you’re the only one with the car, Myeon!” Jongdae complains.

Then, remembering Yixing’s words, Baekhyun tries, “Well, Yixing told me, um... that, you know, um, that he’s real _lucky_ to have you and Yifan as friends.” He emphasizes the same word Yixing had, albeit he has no clue as to why.

“That little _shit_.” Yifan curses under his breath. He turns to look at Junmyeon who now looks panicked, “Can you believe him?”

“Wait, what’s that supposed to mean?” Minseok asks confused.

Junmyeon is quick to reply, already standing up with furrowed eyebrows and an indignant pout, “Nothing. Whatever. We’ll pick him up, and then we’ll leave, we won’t be staying.”

“Yay, field trip in the middle of the night.” Sehun claps, already grabbing his scattered scarf.

“You can’t leave me here alone!” Tao cries while looking at the rest of the boys who’ve quickly gone to put on his shoes and coats.

“Tao-yah, just come with us! We can all fit in Junmyeon’s big-ass soccer mom van.” Baekhyun insists. “And I think it’s safer if you come with us rather than stay here alone, right?”

“B-but—”

“Don’t worry, you can just stay in the van if you want.” Jongdae reassures him, “While we go inside and explore, I mean.”

“We are _not_ going inside that house.”

//

 

In the end, they do go into the house.

Albeit, not all of them, and not because they actually want to _hunt_ a ghost. It has more to do with the fact that Zhang Yixing is nowhere to be found and is not answering their calls.

“I could be sleeping right now.” Kyungsoo deadpans as he watches the old house from the inside of the car.

The house, if you could call it that, is nothing like Baekhyun expected. It looks more new than what he’d imagined, but it’s also definitely bigger. Not a mansion, perhaps, but it’s at least three stories high and has a sizable width. 

It’s been abandoned since the 80’s, just like his research with Yixing weeks prior had shown, after an actual robbery-turned-murder occurred in the house. It’s definitely creepy, Baekhyun notes, especially on a Halloween night at 2 in the morning so now that he’s here, he’s actually re-thinking that whole ghostbusters dream he’s had for the last couple of years.

But apparently Junmyeon is still salty about being dragged into this.

“Well, you’re going to have to get in there and look for him.” Junmyeon replies haughtily.

“Me? Alone?” is all Baekhyun can utter.

“Take your minions with you.” Kyungsoo says from one of the seats, eyes droppy with sleep.

Chanyeol shrugs, “I’ll go with you, Baek.”

“Same,” Jongdae agrees, “We can be like the real ghostbusters.”

Baekhyun just really, really loves his friends.

In the end, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Jongdae, Minseok, and Lu Han are the ones to go. The latter because, apparently, are the oldest. Or rather, Minseok said he wouldn’t mind and Lu Han had laughed at him and said he’d go just to see Minseok’s scared face.

As soon as they’re inside the house, Baekhyun instantly regrets his days of stupid naivety, which mind you, was actually just couple of hours ago. There’s no electricity, of course, so they have to rely on their cellphone’s lamplights. Everything is covered in dust, and it smells like mothballs, and it’s cold and maybe Byun Baekhyun just wants to go home, but he can’t because Yixing’s probably being eaten to death by a vengeful spirit and it’s all his fault.

“The house is immense,” Minseok breaks the silence as they all eye the living room, some with curious eyes, some with slight terror, “We can split into two, we’ll find him faster that way.”

“ _Split_?” Both Lu Han and Baekhyun say at the same time. Lu Han looks flustered by the outburst, Baekhyun does not.

“Yeah, I think so too.” Jongdae shrugs, “Lu Han and Minseok can stay here, the rest of us can go upstairs and look there.”

Baekhyun doesn’t really want to go upstairs, but the hell is he supposed to do? So there they go, leaving behind a rather bored Minseok and a slightly trembling Lu Han, while they make their way upstairs.

Jongdae, the bravest of the three by a mile, leads the way. Chanyeol doesn’t seem as scared as Baekhyun but he’s definitely being cautious and a bit fidgety. Baekhyun holds on to his arm. He’s relieved when Chanyeol squeezes back.

“Wah, wah, wah.” He mutters as they finally get to the corridor, a long stretch of darkness that makes way to various rooms.

Jongdae laughs under his breath, “I thought you wanted this, Baek.”

“Shut up. I’m not scared. I just, you know, can feel—WAH!” he yells and jumps in surprise, then cowers himself behind his taller friend.

“What—what happened?” Chanyeol jumps with paranoid eyes.

Baekhyun takes a moment to breathe and calm down. “Sorry. There was a spider there.”

“Oh, god, _Baekhyun._ ”

//

“I thought you said you wanted to see me scared.” Minseok muses with a slight smirk. He’s pointedly not looking at Lu Han, but the other boy can hear the slightly mocking tone.

“Shut up. You’re not scared, big deal. I’m not scared either.” Lu Han replies hotly, eyeing one of the creepy portraits on the wall. “This isn’t scary, it’s just a stupid house.”

“Well, then,” Minseok replies while lighting the way to what appears to be a large kitchen, “If that’s the case, you can let go of my arm. You’re holding on too tightly, I think.”

Lu Han looks down to where he’s grabbing on to Minseok’s arm, but doesn’t let go. “It’s so that we don’t get lost, obviously.”

“Ok, if you say so, Lu Han. It’s a bit cold too, so I guess you’ll keep me warm.”

For some reason, Lu Han doesn’t believe that, but he also doesn’t mention it because he rather likes this accommodation.

They search the kitchen fairly quickly, as it is soon obvious no one is actually there, and move on to what looks to be a spacious master bedroom.

Out of the corner of his eye, Minseok can see Lu Han’s stoic façade break down slowly. As much as he wants to make fun of Lu Han in return for the mockings of earlier, he also doesn’t want him to suffer an anxiety attack right here and there.

He coughs into his fist and quietly says as both keep on walking, “So. What do you think of the freshmen?”

Lu Han looks back in confusion at Minseok, but at least he seems distracted by his surroundings. “Freshmen? What do you mean?”

Minseok shrugs, “Yeah. Zitao, Jongin…Sehun.”

Lu Han shakes his head at the weird questioning, but answers nonetheless. “I mean, I like Zitao. It’s impossible not to like him, right?”

Minseok nods.

“And Jongin’s alright, I don’t know. He seems slightly brighter than the other two, at least.”

“Sehun, you mean?” Minseok asks surreptitiously.

“Yeah. He’s…weird. But alright, I guess. And he helps Tao with his Korean.”

“He’s…cute.”

Lu Han stops walking, and with his arms still linked, makes Minseok stop and get dragged back as well. Minseok looks back in confusion and can see, as much his phone’s lightning allows it, Lu Han’s squinted eyes.

“What do you mean cute? You like him or something?”

Minseok rolls his eyes. “No, I was just—wait, why? Would you _care_ if I did?” And huh, maybe Sehun’s crush is not unrequited, Minseok ponders.

It’s definitely too dark too tell, but he swears he can see a faint blush on Lu Han’s cheeks before he turns away. Before either of them can say anything though, there’s a scream from upstairs. It’s Baekhyun, Minseok notices.

He can feel Lu Han become rigid against him, and before he knows it, Lu Han’s legs wobble and falls down to his knees.

“Oh, shit. We’re gonna die, Minseok. There’s a ghost here and it killed Yixing and it just killed those three idiots and now it’s coming for us.” Lu Han wails. “I can’t do this, my legs don’t work anymore—don’t you fucking dare leave me behind like in those movies. You’ll have to carry me if you must.”

Minseok can’t help but chuckle at the small trembling ball that is Lu Han. He’s just cowering on the floor, all bundled up on his white squishy coat and Minseok can’t help but feel endeared.

“Why are you laughing?” Lu Han glowers, “This is matter of life and death Minseok, what the hell.”

“You look really cute right now.”

“Ok, whatever, let the ghost kill you, I’m crawling back to the exit by myself.”

//

“They’ve been gone for half an hour.” Yifan murmurs looking at his phone, “They should’ve been here by now, right?”

“Hnn.” Junmyeon mutters from the driver’s seat.

On the back seats, Sehun is preoccupying himself with some _Midnight Selcas_ , as he had called them, Tao is one second away from bawling, holding onto Jongin for dear life, who doesn’t even notice because he’d been sleeping since the drive over here. And Kyungsoo looks properly unamused and half-dead by this whole situation. Yifan understands him.

Unfortunately, he can’t just do nothing like his pretty much useless dongsaengs. He sighs and massages his temple before speaking up.

“Junmyeon, I think we need to go check on them.”

“Hnn.” Junmyeon says back again.

“Junmyeon?” Yifan looks back at his friend. It’s almost funny how pale white and stoic he looks. Scratch that, it _is_ funny.

“Why can’t someone else go?” Junmyeon speaks up, “We can send in Kyungsoo—”

“No.” Kyungsoo speaks up for the first time since the other half of the group left.

Junmyeon coughs, “We can send in Jongin and Sehun, right?”

Sehun looks up from his phone. “Wow, Junmyeon, I can’t believe this. You want to send us, _the babies_ of the group, into a potentially dangerous situation?”

Junmyeon looks the tiniest of apologetic, Yifan rolls his eyes. 

He mentions, “I mean, they’re not babies. You’re, like, half the size of Sehun, Tao could probably step on you, and I’m pretty sure Jongin has eaten bigger chickens than you—”

“ _Get to the point Yifan_.”

 “But, they’re pretty much our responsibility. Hyungs and all that. Besides, they’re not particularly intellectual.”

Junmyeon sighs. “I’m literally only going back for Minseok. The rest can get adopted by monsters, for all I care.”

//

“Kyungsoo, you’re in charge.” Kyungsoo can faintly hear Junmyeon say before he and Yifan leave towards the house.

At this rate, the next one to leave will be him, but he’s not about that life. He’s smarter than his friends.  Also, he’s very hungry.

“Whatever,” he mutters, “I’m going to go the diner across the street.”

Jongin, out of nowhere, wakes up.

“Wait for me, hyung.” He says, unbuckling his seatbelt.

Kyungsoo, after telling Sehun and Tao to not do anything stupid, gets out of the van and let’s Jongin follow him along, before saying. “I thought you were asleep.”

Jongin shakes his head, “Nah. But nobody pays attention to you if you’re asleep.”

Kyungsoo thinks Jongin must be smarter than what he looks.

The chilly wind collides with Kyungsoo’s face, blowing the hair out of his forehead. The road between the so-called haunted house and the diner is narrow and seems to stretch on into the distance, where the darkness of the highway engulfs it. There’s too many trees and not enough people, and Kyungsoo thinks it’s nice. He has never been to this part of Seoul before, it’s near Geumcheon district, maybe somewhere on the outskirts of it, teetering on the edge of Seoul. It had taken them nearly thirty minutes to actually drive here.

At three am in the morning, it almost feels like he’s entering a twilight zone.

He turns to look back at Jongin, who follows him quietly while looking with wondering eyes at his surroundings. He too, is wearing a much too thin sweater that hangs off his collarbones and is doing almost next to nothing to protect him against the cold weather.

“Are you hungry?” the older student asks, and Jongin tiltes his head as if to ponder this one million won question.

“Yes.” Jongin replies with a grin and glances back at the diner. “Your pumpkin muffins were good, but I usually don’t stay up too late into the night. Sleep is important.”

“Of course.” Kyungsoo nods with an amused glint on his eyes, and they enter the place with drowsy eyes and tired limbs.

It’s a small 24/7 diner with a mix of typical Korean food and western breakfasts, and even though it is not empty like Kyungsoo had assumed, it only has four other customers: a middle-age couple who is most likely traveling by night, a young-looking man in a doctor’s coat with heavy bags under his eyes, and a slumped man sleeping in a corner, snoring maybe a bit too loudly.

They take a booth three seats away from the doctor, Jongin on one side and Kyungsoo opposite of him. The only waitress there, who seems to be even more tired than both of them combined, drags her feet towards their table and asks for their order. Their orders couldn’t be more different, Kyungsoo notices. He orders two simple _pajeon_ pancakes and a glass of milk, Jongin orders scrambled eggs with bacon and a biscuit, American style.

“Those can’t be too good for your health,” Kyungsoo mentions after the waitress comes back with their food.

Jongin dismisses and takes a giant bite from his biscuit, “It’s ok, I’ll go for a run tomorrow.”

He wants to laugh at the ridiculous image, but instead takes a bite of his own. Jongin points at his pajeon, mouth disgustingly full.

“You really like Korean food, don’t you?”

Kyungsoo looks down at his meal, “I suppose so. It’s what I’ve eaten my whole life.”

Jongin nods with lidded eyes and a smile, “Well, you’re good at it, as well. Who taught you how to cook?”

“My mom, naturally,” he exhales, “She was always adamant about it. At least now I don’t starve to death if I don’t eat ramyeon or cereal.”

“I think you’re a natural,” Jongin continues, “I attempted to cook once, on a weekend where my parents left for a trip and my sister wasn’t home. I wanted to try to and cook some eggs with corn, at the time I thought it’d be a great idea. Turns out not even my dogs wanted them.”

This time, Kyungsoo does laugh. Maybe a bit too loud, not because it’s too early in the morning, nor because the couple looks at them funny, but because, by nature, Do Kyungsoo is a quiet person and laughing over silly matters is not what he usually does.

Jongin doesn’t seem to mind, in fact, he preens under Kyungsoo’s attention.

Jongin looks too young right now, Kyungsoo observes while sipping his milk, with his soft hair strewn to the side and the sleepy yawn here and there. Kyungsoo may not look any better, but sometimes he forgets Jongin is younger than him. Just ocassionally, mind you, it’s not as if Jongin is known for being the most mature of people, but next to Chanyeol and Baekhyun sometimes Kyungsoo forgets. He thinks Jongin looks lovely with his warm smile in this cold place, but that’s something Kyungsoo won’t think about.

“You have three dogs, right?” He _knows_ Jongin has three dogs because the boy makes it his mission to mention them at least once a week. “What are their names?”

“Jjanggu, Monggu, and Jjangah.” He grins with gooey eyes, and takes out his cellphone, “Look, I have pictures, wanna see them?” Jongin doesn’t wait for an answer, and he’s instantly on Kyungsoo’s side of the booth, the phone’s screen lightly touching Kyungsoo’s nose.

Either way, it’s not like he wanted to say no.

//

Sehun scrolls through his twitter feed for the third time in five minutes. Who knew no one would be tweeting at the wee hours of the morning?

He sighs and finally turns off his phone. He’s been sitting on Junmyeon’s stupid fabreeze-scented van for far too long. He glances to his side at Tao, who is now drifting to sleep atop Sehun’s shoulders. He shakes him off. “Tao.”

Tao opens his sleep/fright-addled eyes, and murmurs, “Are we gone, yet?”

“No,” Sehun dismisses, “I’m going inside.”

 _That_ seems to wake up Tao dead cold. “What? Why would you want to go inside?”

“I’m _booored_. I’m going to see if I can take a picture of a ghost?”

“Sehun, you can’t leave me here!” Tao incites grabbing on for dear life to Sehun. “This is what happens in horror movies!”

“That’s true…” Sehun admits after a while, “You should come with me then.”

“No way. We’re easy bait for a ghost.” Tao’s brows furrow, “And, we’re too pretty. A lot of ghosts hate pretty people.”

“Story of my life.”

“Let’s just stay here and cuddle.” Tao whines, “And if the hyungs don’t come back in twenty minutes we’ll leave them here and drive off.”

Sehun seems to seriously consider this. At the end, he says, “We don’t know how to drive.”

“ _Sehun_ ,” Tao tries once again, “I have a confession to make.”

The other boy quickly whips his head to look at Tao. “What is it?”

“I…” Tao gulps.

“Yeah?”

“I can see ghosts, Oh Sehun.”

“What?” Sehun deadpans at the declaration.

“It’s some sort of sixth sense,” he starts, eyes wide and serious, “I’ve seen those things, that’s why I’m so afraid of them.”

“You can see ghosts.” Sehun repeats.

Tao nods, still serious. “Back in China, I saw my dead great-grandmother’s ghost, I swear. And last year when I went to Taiwan, I saw them _everywhere._ ”

“Ok.”

“You don’t believe me, do you?”

“No, no I do, buddy,” he replies cautiously.

Tao frowns, “I can feel something inside that house, ok? I _know_ there’s a ghost in there.”

Sehun sighs, “Fine, look, I’ll just stay outside and take a picture of the house. You can take one too, that’ll get us lots of Instagram likes, right?”

Tao bites his bottom lip in consideration. “I guess…But don’t let go of my hand! That’s how people get lost. That’s how it’ll get to us.”

“Of course.” Sehun reassures him and goes to open the door. It’s not like he doesn’t believe Tao, it’s just…he really doesn’t believe Tao.

The night is eerily quiet, the only sounds seems to be coming from the nearby highway, where cars occasionally drive through. Sehun looks back at the house; it’s not the scariest house in the world, he admits, but a good filter and a favorable angle can make everything possible. Next to him, he can feel Tao tremble.

“You lead.” Sehun tells him, suddenly the tiniest bit of scared. “You’re older.”

He thinks that Tao is going deny him or tell him to shut up, but he just tightly grabs on to Sehun’s hands and leads the way. Sehun thinks nobody gives Tao enough credit.

In the end, with careful and small steps, they settle themselves by one of the house’s corner, near a huge window covered by heavy curtains. Above that window, on the second story, there’s a smaller round one. It definitely sends shivers down Sehun’s spine, so of course that’s the one he’s going to take pictures of. He takes out his phone and starts snapping pictures. Tao, albeit slower, does the same.

Too absorbed with his magnificent photographing skills, Sehun fails to notice Tao slowly backing away.

“S-sehun.”

“Hm?”

“There’s a woman looking out the window.”

Sehun laughs. “What are you saying?” He glances back at small window, the one where Tao is pointing. There’s absolutely nothing there and Sehun is, like 87% sure, that Tao just wants to get back in the van.

“Sehun let’s go, please.”

“Wait, let me take a couple more.”

“You do that. I’m going back.” Tao huffs out. He’s not kidding, without waiting for Sehun, the other boy briskly walks back.

Sehun rolls his eyes at the other boy. It’s not like—

He feels a chill roll down his spine. It’s the wind. Probably.

He wonders what the rest of his friends are doing, and why the hell is it taking them too long? Is Yixing not there? Did they stay with the goddamn ghost? Did it kill them?

There’s a gentle tapping on the window. The one Tao had pointed. Sehun doesn’t want to look up, Sehun doesn’t want to look up. Inevitably, he looks up, hands shaking from the cold.

There’s nothing there, he exhales.

Honestly, Tao is such a drama queen and Sehun needs a new best—

“Sehun.” a woman’s voice whispers in his ear. He feels cold air caress his face.

_Fucking hell._

_Rule number one, you fucking idiot_ , he thinks to himself, _the skeptic always dies_. He doesn’t get told twice before he starts running back.

“Tao!” he screams, “It’s here, it wants me!!”

“It’s going to kill me!”

He launches himself towards the car, where Tao is watching from inside. He tries opening the car frantically. It’s locked.

“Tao! Open up!” He pleads, not wanting to look back.

“No way, no way, it’s going to get inside!” Tao cries back.

“Tao, I’m going to die!”

“Yeah, you will, I’m sorry!” It’s all a chaos of screams and crying and if there’s a ghost wandering somewhere in that house, it’s probably more scared of them than them of it.

In the end, Tao relents. “I’m going to open _one door,_ Sehun, you better come in quick.” He cautiously unlocks one of the doors, still unsure, and Sehun scrambles in like a scurrying weasel.

“I almost died!” Sehun weeps into his own hands. “It _whispered_ into my ear.”

“I told you, didn’t I?” Tao sniffles, “It was looking directly at you. Maybe it liked you or something.”

“This always happens to me, goddamit,” Sehun rubs his eyes with a sweater paw, “It’s not my fault I was born with this face.”

Tao squints his eyes looking out the van’s window, still glued by Sehun’s side. “She’s gone, I think.”

“The creepy lady?”

Tao nods and hides his face on Sehun’s arms, who is still trembling. “Let’s just go Sehun, let’s leave all of them here.”

Sehun couldn’t agree more.

//

“So Sehun likes Lu Han?” Kyungsoo asks, confused and brows scrunched up.

Jongin laughs, licking the last remnants of his plate clean, “You didn’t know?”

“I don’t like being up in anyone’s business, if that’s what you mean?” Kyungsoo replies with a cocked eyebrow.

Jongin shrugs, “It’s just a little obvious. Sehun’s been not-so-secretly pining for him since the beginning of the school year.

They’ve been eating and talking for nearly half an hour, but neither of them had received any messages or calls from their friends, so Kyungsoo is almost sure they haven’t been abandoned by them in the middle of nowhere. Almost.

“I feel a little bad for him.” Jongin continues, “Lu Han doesn’t know, even when Sehun’s being too obvious.”

“Maybe,” Kyungsoo takes the last slurp of his now warm milk, “He _does_ notice. Maybe he just doesn’t want to deal with Sehun’s feelings.”

“That’s a little shitty, then.” The younger boy frowns.

“It is.” Kyungsoo says resolutely, fingers tearing up a clean napkin to shreds. “Like I said, feelings suck.”

The middle-age couple has already left the diner and Kyungsoo directs his gaze towards the doctor, who’s already paying the bill.

He sighs “It’s getting really late. Where the hell are the rest?”

He looks back at the last client left besides them, the sleeping man slumped in the corner. Kyungsoo wonders what kind of circumstances led him to sleep at 3 in the morning in a dingy diner on the outskirts of Seoul.

“I—” Kyungsoo squints his eyes at the sleeping figure. Jongin looks back as well, curious.

“What?”

“Is that—”

 _Of_ fucking _course._

//

“I just don’t think he’s here.” Junmyeon sighs, rubbing his red eyes with sleep.

“Where _could_ have he gone to?” Yifan frowns beside him.

They have all come back to the first floor to discuss their next plan of action. The dusty and foul-smelling furniture is not pleasant _at all_ , they really can’t see much of their surroundings, and they’ve been looking for Yixing for almost an hour now.

“Maybe he found a way to get home by himself.” Minseok says with lidded eyes. “That’s more likely.”

“Maybe he’s dead. And it’s all my fault.” Baekhyun retorts with a small voice, shrinking in on himself. Maybe if he hadn’t insisted on searching for this stupid house, Yixing would still be alive and smiling and being—

“He’s not dead, Baek.” Chanyeol puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder, “We would’ve found his corpse by now.”

“Well, what do we do now?” Jongdae sluggishly says from his other side, his usual cheerful demeanor now gloomy with sleep.

“We can’t leave without Yixing, that’s for sure.” Insists Lu Han with arms crossed. Even then, Baekhyun can notice the older boy is still a little jumpy from being inside the house. He can’t blame him. The worst one had been Junmyeon, though. It had taken fifteen minutes for both, Yifan and Chanyeol, to coax him into actually walking around the house and being somewhat useful.

“I agree.” Minseok adds. Baekhyun almost wants to laugh at Lu Han’s and Minseok’s tangled fingers, but, 1. He really can’t laugh while still in this creepy house and 2. He’s holding on to Chanyeol _and_ Jongdae the same way.

“I say we go look for him ou—”

“ _Tao! It’s here, it wants me!!”_

They turn to look at each other. That’s undoubtedly Sehun’s frantic screaming coming from outside.

“What—”

“ _It’s going to kill me!_ ”

“Oh, my god, I’m going to throw up.” Lu Han whimpers as his legs start to wobble up again.

“What? Sehun’s going to die?” Junmyeon yowls, not any better than Lu Han, “The ghost is here? _The ghost is here?”_

Chanyeol stutters, “I—I think Junmyeon’s going to faint.”

“Jesus Christ, I don’t have time for this.” Jongdae rolls his eyes, “C’mon, Minseok, let’s see what those idiots are up to.” Minseok nods and goes on to follow him.

“Wait, don’t leave me here, Kim Minseok!” Lu Han runs to catch up to him.

“There’s a ghost and it’s killing Sehun.” Baekhyun turns to look at Chanyeol, paranoid look on his face.

Chanyeol says, skitterish, “He’s just being silly—”

Next to them, the heavy curtain draped along the closed window surges forward, as if blown by the wind. The stairs next to them creak.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Baekhyun whispers under his breath, eyes wide and terrified.

This time, Chanyeol doesn’t try to comfort him, instead, he grabs onto his smaller friend’s hands and starts running.

A still trembling Junmyeon, upon seeing Baekhyun and Chanyeol run for his life, screams—more high-pitched than he ever was on noraebang night—and runs as well, as fast as his short legs can take him.

This ridiculous chain of events then leads Lu Han to scream as well and drag Minseok along with him. Even Yifan, who had been pretty stoic and calm throughout the whole night, starts trotting forward, following the rest of his friends, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.

“Let us in, you idiots!” Baekhyun wails and tries opening the locked doors of the van, only for Tao and Sehun to refuse.

“No!” Sehun yells, “You’ll bring in the ghost!”

“Not all of us are meant to survive, I’m sorry, sogogi!” Tao adds with tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

“You little shits, open up! I swear if I get killed I’m going to come back just to haunt you!” Lu Han pounds on the window with his mittened hands.

“ _Tao_ ,” Junmyeon sobs, “ _Sehun_ , please. You can let _me_ in at least, right?”

Baekhyun can see the younger boys ponder for a moment, then Tao leans in to whisper something to Sehun.

“What the hell is going on?” Kyungsoo walks from behind them, Jongin in tow.

“Kyungsoo, where were you?” Baekhyun whines, “We’re about to be killed and— _Yixing?_ ”

There, just next to Kyungsoo and Jongin, in all his drowsy glory, stands Yixing, hands on his pockets while yawning.

“Hello.” He waves.

Still standing at the house’s entrance, Jongdae can only witness the whole ordeal with disbelief and a slight tinge of distress.

“ _Jongdae_.” He feels a whisper near his neck, the temperature around him dropping in mere seconds.

“Whatever,” he rolls his eyes. “I don’t have time for this. Please keep warm, lady.”

He walks towards his friends, seeing Tao and Sehun finally relent and open up the doors. It might have been a combination of Junmyeon’s pleads and Kyungsoo’s threats.

He mutters under his breath. “I just _really_ want to sleep now.”

//

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: originally, there was supposed to be a xiuhan smut scene, but for the sake of plot and ~feelings~ i took it out lol.
> 
> thank you for reading!!!!


	6. namdaemun market, 7:00.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...hi? does anyone remember me? hello guys, i'm here with a new chapter! after a long wait. i could go on and on with excuses and reasons as to why this took a long time to write. there are some good ones, i swear! but i guess i'll let you just go on with it. this chapter isn't the most exciting in terms of plot, but it marks the turning point of the fic. we're halfway there and in next chapter things will get messier.
> 
> thanks a lot to sam and melody, for always being the greatest supporters (especially sam, wow). also, special thanks to alyssa, for being a lovely reader!!! and also to russianxroulette for actually waiting for this mess of a fic faithfully.
> 
> hope you guys enjoy!

**{chapter six}**

 

**///**

 

**Namdaemun No. 1 Street, 2:47**

 

“One…two…three,” Junmyeon counts the moving heads in front of him, “Four…Where’s Baekhyun? _Baekhyun!_ ”

“He stopped by the ice cream stand.” Chanyeol points to the small food stands behind them.

Namdaemun market is usually brimmed with people and colorful stands, and today is no exception. Junmyeon had thought it’d be a good idea to go out and breathe some fresh air, maybe buy a few trinkets, then end it with a good dinner. It sounded good on paper, but with so many people to take care of, it feels more like he’s babysitting rather than hanging out with his friends.

It seems like Yifan isn’t having that much luck either.

“…Five…Six…Seven?” the taller boy asks confused, “Why do I have seven people?”

Junmyeon sighs, “Sehun, come over here, you can talk with Tao _after_ we make sure everyone’s here.”

The younger boy rolls his eyes in the Sehun manner Junmyeon has come to know by now, but does disentangle himself from his friend who only pouts before trying to nuzzle and keep warm with Yifan.

With mid-November rolling around, the weather has been dropping steadily day after day, even now, Junmyeon has to wear a warm cardigan to protect him from the chilly breeze that, with no doubt, will be freezing by nightfall. Even usually sturdy Minseok is starting to tremble next to an amused Lu Han.

“I am here, I am here! Do not worry!” Baekhyun finally arrives to their small, disorganized faux circle, both hands occupied with a small Styrofoam cup filled with shaved ice cream.

“Why are you eating that?” Kyungsoo frowns, eyeing the desert on Baekhyun’s hands, “Isn’t the weather too cold?”

“Actually,” his mouth is filled with the cold goo, but Baekhyun doesn’t seem to mind. “If you eat ice cream, or something… _anything_ really cold, your body temperature will drop, and you will—”

“Forget I ever asked.” Kyungsoo deadpans and turns to Jongin and Sehun, who are having an animated discussion of their own that seems to involve their dogs—Vivi and Jjangah. It’s really not that much better than Baekhyun’s ice cream inane conversation, but it’s not like beggars can be choosers.

“Ok, let me start once over,” Junmyeon shouts again, trying to make himself heard above the murmurs of the ever-presence of the crowd.

Sehun, _check_. Jongin, _check_. Kyungsoo, _check_. Chanyeol, _check_. Baekhyun, _check_. Jongdae…where the hell is Jongdae?

“Where’s Jongdae?” he starts panicking again, “I swear I saw him five—”

“Relax, he’s with me.” Yifan laughs and pats his shoulder amicably. “Although I hate to break it to you, Junmyeon, but I don’t think this is going to work.”

The shorter boy’s expression visibly darkens. “You’re right. There’s too many people…and Baekhyun _just won’t stand still_.” He shouts the last part towards Baekhyun’s direction, the boy too animatedly talking to Yixing (probably about ice cream) to actually care.

“I think we should just divide into groups and then get together again by dinner time.” Jongdae comes up next to them.

“It’d be easier.” Yifan ponders, “As long we all stay within the area.”

“Ok, whatever, I just really want to buy that anti-wrinkle cream Tao told me about.” Junmyeon laments, “I’m aging too fast and it’s all because of this stress.”

“You look fine, dear Junmyeon.” Jongdae reaches to touch Junmyeon’s shoulder. “Too fine, I may add.”

“ _Jongdae_.”

Jongdae laughs, loud and bright. “Alright, alright. Never say I didn’t offer. You know where to find me, hot stuff.”

“Everyone, listen up.” Yifan interrupts. Everyone finally turns to look at him. “We’ve decided to split up. You can all leave with whoever you want, but we have to meet up in front of the Bondong Arcade at seven, ok?”

“Then we’ll go and have dinner before leaving. So _don’t be late_. I’m serious.” Junmyeon continues. “Are we clear?”

“Yes, _eomma_!” Chanyeol shouts. “At Bongdong Arcade by seven.”

“If you’re late, we won’t wait for you and we’ll just go ahead and eat.” Yifan finishes.

“Yes, _abba_!” Jongdae plays along, making Chanyeol and Baekhyun break into laughter. Kyungsoo snorts.

Suddenly, Yifan does feel like he is father of ten. He is _too_ young for this.

 

**//**

**Chopped Noodle Street, 3:32**

“Maybe we should kiss. To break the tension and all that.” Jongdae suggests with a loud voice. Pigeons fly away from the disturbance.

“There isn't any tension, Jongdae.” Yixing gives him a side glance. “No kissing in the middle of the street.”

The younger boy sighs. “You are way more fun when drunk.”

“I know that,” Yixing laments, “We haven’t gone out drinking in a while.”

The pair sits in one of the small outside tables of a ramen restaurant, waiting for their orders to arrive. “We should,” Jongdae exclaims, “We can go out one of these days, just the two us. I’ll teach you how to pull some birds.”

“Pull some birds?” Yixing inquires, sipping his cup of warm tea, “That doesn’t sound ideal.”

“Trust me, I’m good at flirting, I’ll teach you how to do it.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Jongdae frowns back, “Why _not?_ ”

“You fail each and every time you try to chat up Junmyeon.”

“Listen, Junmyeon is a special case, ok? He has a tight chastity belt around him.” Jongdae rolls his eyes,  “And it’s ok, I respect that. But one day he’ll come to his senses and he’ll realize.”

“You have a very wild imagination, friend.” Yixing purses his lips, “But how about this, just teach me how to smuggle in alcohol into the room and I’ll teach you how to flirt.”

Jongdae chokes on his soft drink, drops flying everywhere, “I’m affronted, Zhang, I would never.”

“You have a whole stash of Cuervo in your room, Lu Han found it last week.”

“Where you the little shits that stole half a bottle?” he exclaims with a wail, it’s no wonder the tables surrounding them are devoid of people. “I was wondering who the little rat was!”

“In my defense, it was Lu Han-ge’s idea.” Yixing raises his hands in surrender, “Minseok hyung also drank some.”

“I don’t trust anyone in that house anymore, you thiefs.” he sniffs, “Maybe Tao, but I have a feeling he’s been eating more twinkies than what we agreed on. Or maybe he’s been sharing them with Sehun, another rat.”

“Let’s make a deal,” Yixing smiles sweetly at his tea, “You share with me your alcohol, I get you a date with Junmyeon.”

Jongdae narrows his eyes, “I don’t _need_ a date, please I have enough nagging with Yifan back at the dorms.”

“Then share and I’ll stop Tao from eating your food,” he tries instead, “And I’ll make sure Sehun spends less time in our dorm.”

“Interesting.” Jongdae nods slowly, “Huh. Who knew we could do business together?”

“Is that a deal?”

“Half a bottle of Cuervo and another half of a Scotch Blue.”

Yixing shakes his head, “I say one full Cuervo and three fourths of Windsor.”

“Are you crazy, you--”

“ _And--_ ” Yixing continues before the other boy can interrupt, “I’ll tell you a secret. A secret involving Yifan and Junmyeon.” If one would look at Yixing, all sweet smiles and drinking tea primly, no one would dare say he was as good as a blackmailer, trader of secrets and alcohol as he actually is. Jongdae knows better and he feels like if him and Yixing were to compete in a poker game, it’d be a tough call. He enjoys his newfound partnership of evil.

“One Cuervo and three fourths of Windsor it is.”

 

**//**

**Jayu Shopping Mall, 4:16**

 

“I have no idea why I’m being dragged here with you,” Lu Han mumbles, each of his arms linked to slimmer and longer ones.

“Quality time, gege.” Tao says from his right side, walking past the stores with heart eyes. On the other side, Sehun has a similar expression, but his eyes are looking at something— _someone else_.

“Zitao, we _live_ together in a three-bedroom dorm. You might as well be attached to my ass.”

“I don’t know why _I’m_ being dragged here with you.” Minseok says as he walks close behind the trio, amused expression on his face.

Lu Han frowns as he cranes his neck, still on a double tight grip, “You wouldn’t leave me alone with these two, would you?” The younger two don’t react to the jab, either too oblivious or too used to them to care.

“I wanted to go with Jongdae and Yixing,” Minseok sighs, “They were going to grab some drinks at the eatery, I think.”

At Tao’s request, they stop at a small sunglass shop near the end of the shopping mall. Small or not, the sunglasses are too expensive, but they decide to go in either way. Or it’s more like Tao went in without asking them and everyone followed, but it’s not like they’re complaining.

“How do I look?” Tao poses in front of a mirror, trying on the first pair of glasses he saw, and somehow thinks making a duck-face is appropriate.

“Like a goddamn mess.” Sehun replies, walking next to him, a pair of Oakley glasses a tad too big and too blue and too ridiculous, perched atop of his nose.

Lu Han scrunches his brows in distress. “Why are you like this? I know you’re still young and—”

“ _Mad Ice Xiumin_.” Next to him, Minseok says in a low, raspy tone. He too, has decided to grab a spare pair of sunglasses from the counter. The shorter boy stands in front of a larger mirror, next to Sehun, and starts flexing his arms. “Do not mess with me, or Mad Ice will be coming… _for you_.” He chuckles under his breath like a villain from a Hollywood movie.

“Oh my god. Minseok, aren’t you supposed to be the oldest one here?” Lu Han cries with a mix of embarrassment and amusement. Minseok shoots him with fake finger guns in response.

“Here, try these, hyung.” Sehun replies with a laugh, grabbing the biggest cheetah print

sunglasses he could find, and puts them right on Lu Han’s face.

“Wait—these are for girls, aren’t they? Isn’t there anything more—”

“Shut up, you look good.” Minseok adds, sliding next to him as he starts posing once again.

“Look at these guns.”

Lu Han looks at their reflection. It’s more than ridiculous. “Hm. I guess, I do, don’t I?”

“Lu-ge, you look so pretty.” Tao butts in, “Almost as pretty as me.”

“I’m not even going to fight you, Tao.” Lu Han frowns and turns back to the mirror, looking more absurd by the minute, “ _Yo, yo, baby_.”

“Ok, this is going straight to my Instagram account,” Sehun starts taking a few selfies. “Ooh, or maybe my snapchat—”

“Excuse me, sirs.”

Lu Han jumps in surprise at the unfamiliar male voice. He turns around to face a suited man glaring him down with a stoic expression.

“Yeah?” he stammers out.

“If you’re not going to buy anything, I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave.” He doesn’t look sorry at all.

“Uh, we were—”

“We’re just looking around.” Tao frowns, “Can we not do that?”

“If you’re disturbing our other clients, then no.”

Sehun purses his lips, “We _were_ planning on buying something—

“—but now we won’t.” Tao sniffs, dignified.

The worker doesn’t seem too affected, Lu Han thinks, and just responds, “I doubt students like you could afford anything on this store. Now please, I’m going to ask you to leave again.”

Tao gasps.

Even though Lu Han wants to step on this guy’s feet or something, he knows that if he does, he might end up in jail and he _also_ knows that Tao doesn’t care about going to jail.

 “ _How dare you_ , I’m going to call—”

Lu Han goes on to grab onto Tao, holding him by the waist, “Zitao, Zitao, calm your ass down.

You don’t want to go to jail, do you?”

“I can beat his ass with a single punch,” Tao pouts, “Better yet, I could buy—”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Lu Han frowns. “I know we can, but let’s just leave.”

“C’mon Tao-yah, I’ll buy you a pretzel from the food court or something.” Minseok reassures him with a pat.

“These aren’t even that pretty.” Sehun shrugs, taking off his blue glasses with a roll of eyes.

“Yah. Let’s just go eat, I guess, Minseok-hyung is paying.” Tao finally relents.

Lu Han still wants to punch the man in the face, but the idea of a pretzel payed by Minseok is too alluring. With one last glare at the man, they move on to the food court.

//

**Yuseong Arcade, 4:03**

Very much like the rest of Namdaemun Market, Yuseong Arcade is brimmed with people. Mostly children under the age of twelve, but Kyungsoo would rather not think about that.

“I haven’t been here in so long,” Chanyeol says with a giddy smile, looking around the place in wonder, “It’s great, isn’t it?”

“It’s for little kids, Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo replies, moving aside in fear as a kid runs past him.

From his other side, Jongin says, “I like it, I like arcades in general.”

“We don’t have anything like this in Bucheon,” Baekhyun adds, “Just small ones, I guess.”

“I didn’t even like those,” Kyungsoo frowns as they settle for an empty Galaga machine. “I’d rather just play inside with my GameBoy.”

Jongin laughs, “You’d seem like the type.” Kyungsoo tries to elbow him before the younger boy swiftly moves out of the way.

The sound of beeps and dings echo loudly in the room, the children’s laughter mixing in with them. It sounds a tad nostalgic, Kyungsoo realizes, it’s really not that bad.

He looks at where Chanyeol is pressing down buttons in quick succession, mumbling curses once in awhile. He can’t tell if his friend is actually good, but he hasn’t died yet so he must not be that bad.

“Let me try, let me try, ‘Yeol!” Baekhyun yips at Chanyeol, trying to move him over.

“Wait, Baekhyun—don’t move it, I’m going to lose—Baek!”

 ** _Game Over_** , reads the screen.

Jongin and Kyungsoo can’t help but laugh at the pair’s misery.

“Thank you, Byun Baekhyun!” Chanyeol reprimands. “Good job, as always.”

“You were already losing,” he snaps, crossing his arms. Baekhyun doesn’t apologize, but Kyungsoo knows, if Chanyeol’s bubbling laughter is anything to go by, that it really doesn’t matter.

“I wanna try Pac-Man,” Jongin says, “There must be one here, right?”

Chanyeol exclaims, “ _Obviously_ , Jongin. Pac-Man is the quintessential arcade game of all—”

“Hey, Kyungsoo, we should try air hockey.” Baekhyun interrupts, pointing at the nearby tables and half-bouncing, half-walking to them, not waiting for an answer.

“We should?” Kyungsoo deadpans, but he’s already following Baekhyun’s lead.

“Well, I’m gonna go look for Pac-Man.” The youngest of the four announces, “Wanna come, hyung?”

Chanyeol looks back distractedly at the other pair, then says, “I-I think I’ll stay, we’ll catch up to you, Jongin.”

Jongin shrugs and waves him goodbye before sauntering off on his search for Pac-Man.

Chanyeol follows the other two instead.

“First one to reach seven points, wins.” Baekhyun grins mischievously, paddle already on his hands.

Kyungsoo places the puck on the table, slow and calculating. For some reason, Chanyeol fears for Baekhyun. Kyungsoo asks, “What does the winner get?”

“The loser buys dinner for the winner.”

Kyungsoo shakes his head, “No, I won’t let you go easy this time, Byun.”

“This time, the punishment,” he continues, “will be brought from the very pits of hell.”

Baekhyun gulps. “What—what do you mean?”

“Loser has to kiss Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol feels offended.

“ _What?_ No way, uh-uh.” Baekhyun retorts. “That’s just mean.”

Chanyeol feels _very_ offended.

“Excuse you, I am right here.” He splutters with a frown. He walks to the middle of the air hockey table, where the game is starting.

“Are you that sure you’re going to lose?” Kyungsoo challenges.

“As if,” Baekhyun rolls his eyes, “I’m just worried about your well-being after you lose.”

“Yeah, of course. Has anyone thought of asking me first?” Chanyeol huffs out, but has already resigned. He doesn’t really think either of them will actually go through with it. However, he still gives a short, surreptitious glance at Baekhyun, who runs a hand through his hair, it makes Chanyeol a little nervous. And not the bad kind of nervous.

The game starts and it’s brutal. Kyungsoo is a savage when it comes to handling the puck and if he’s honest, Chanyeol even backs away from the table. Baekhyun is not as good with the puck, but he doesn’t let Kyungsoo score easily either.

“Baekhyun, I swear to god, you better win this game.” Chanyeol frowns. He still doesn’t know who he wants to win the game.

“Why?” Baekhyun frowns, eyes still on the game, “You wanna kiss Kyungsoo or what?”

“Even if Kyungsoo loses, he’s not going kiss me even if you threaten to cut off his toes”

“That’s because I’m not going to lose.” Kyungsoo shouts before scoring one more point against Baekhyun.

Chanyeol ponders. If Kyungsoo loses and ends up kissing Chanyeol, it’s not a thing, right? It may be super, intensely awkward, but Kyungsoo is just his friend and Chanyeol will forget about it in five minutes and Kyungsoo would get grumpy and say he’ll cleanse himself with bleach or something, but they would get over it.

If Baekhyun loses…

If Baekhyun loses and ends up kissing Chanyeol, Chanyeol will probably not sleep for the next month or so. Maybe he’ll even faint. Maybe he’ll even die. He’s not ready for a kiss with Baekhyun. He’s thought about it, yes, of course. But not if it’s like this. Not if it’s going to be this huge thing for Chanyeol, while Baekhyun will laugh it off and forget it about the next day.

“C’mon, Baekhyun, _win_!” he cheers louder.

“I’m not going to kiss you, Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo frowns at his direction. “Stop thinking about it—”

“Score!” Baekhyun shouts with pump in the air.

“I wasn’t looking! It’s not fair!” Kyungsoo cries.

“Get ready to kiss a Bucheon hoe, Chanyeol!” Baekhyun cackles. “You are—hey!”

While Baekhyun was too distracted celebrating, Kyungsoo inadvertently scored another point.

“Yes, Park, get ready to kiss a Bucheon hoe.” Kyungsoo smugly says. 

At this point, both boys are tied 6-6, and Chanyeol wants to die, thank you very much. He’s starting to form a plan on his head, one that requires tackling Kyungsoo into the ground to let Baekhyun score. But before he can even walk near Kyungsoo, in a god-sent moment,

Kyungsoo’s phone rings, startling him.

Baekhyun, of course, takes this millisecond of advantage and throws the puck with all he’s got, even the paddle flies off. Kyungsoo sees this too late, but still tries to stop the rapid puck, panic in his eyes. It doesn’t matter though, Baekhyun still scores.

7-6.

Chanyeol almost wants to laugh at Kyungsoo’s dying expression. He’s gone pale and wide-eyed, as if everything he’s lived through has been for this horrible moment.

“Time to kiss me, Soo!” Chanyeol sing songs. He’s just really, really glad he won’t have to kiss Baekhyun.

“No.” Kyungsoo says, panicked, trying to get away from the taller boy before bumping straight into the hockey table.

“Smooch, smooch, Do.” He says, puckering his lips playfully.

Baekhyun, who had doubled on the floor from laughing too much, finally sobers up. “I am, if anything, a benevolent winner. Kyungsoo?”

“What?” Kyungsoo stammers out, tears threatening to fall.

“You don’t want to kiss Chanyeol, do you?”

“No.”

“Ok, I can understand,” Baekhyun nods sympathetically. Chanyeol wants to punch him. “Instead, you’ll pay for mine _and_ Chanyeol’s dinner tonight.” Chanyeol does not want to punch him.

“Yeah, ok, ok.” Kyungsoo frowns, but answers rather quickly, hand still clutching his chest, scared to death.

“And,” Baekhyun smirks, “You’ll have to admit that you love me and that you can’t live without me.”

“What? No way.”

Baekhyun shrugs, “Ok. Chanyeol, please use your tongue.”

“Fine!” Kyungsoo shrieks. He says, looking ready for the earth to swallow him, “I love you, Baekhyun, I cannot live without you.”

“Meh, too plain, but it will do.” Baekhyun ruffles his hair.

Chanyeol wants to feel relieved, but he can’t. Because he _knows_ that the reason—

Ring Ding Dong plays in the background.

It’s Kyungsoo’s cellphone again.

Kyungsoo looks at the caller ID before slightly frowning, “Jongin?” he mutters to himself before answering.

“Yes?”

Baekhyun and Chanyeol share a curious glance.

“I need help, hyung.” Jongin says from the other side of the line.

“What do you mean—Why are you always like this?” Kyungsoo chastises, “Where are you?”

“At the entrance. With the security guard.”

“Oh my god, _Jongin_. Ok, I’ll be there in a minute.” He hangs up quickly and rubs his eyes tiredly. “How does Junmyeon put up with this?”

“What happened?” Chanyeol asks.

Kyungsoo sighs, “The security guard is trying to kick Jongin out for some reason. I’ll go get him, you guys stay here.”

He swiftly leaves his two friends, who are left with another round of air hockey—no kissing involved this time— and makes his way amongst running children and noisy machines.

Somehow the place seems busier than before, it must be rush hour, he thinks. He almost runs into another teenager, who glares at him before sauntering off. The nerve.

When he finally gets to the entrance, sure enough, Jongin is there in what seems to be a heated argument with an intimidating security guard.

“But my friends are here!” Jongin argues.

The guard shakes his head, “I’m sorry, rules are rules. Sir, please leave the establishment.”

Kyungsoo is definitely confused and doesn’t what kind of stupid thing Jongin has done now. He even thinks about ditching his friend and just going back to Baekhyun and Chanyeol, but knows that the guilt would eat him away. He walks up to the pair.

“Is there a problem, sir?” he asks cautiously.

Jongin finally notices him. He gleams enthusiastically. “See? My hyung came to help me!”

The guard looks at Kyungsoo up and down. “Are you with him?” he points at Jongin.

Kyungsoo nods slowly, still confused. The guard is intimidating, but Kyungsoo doesn't like the despective way he is talking to Jongin, or himself for that matter.

“Are you aware that pets aren’t allowed here?”

“Ye—what?” He knows Jongin might look and act like half-puppy but calling him a pet would be going too far. 

“Woof!”

What the hell. Did Jongin just bark? Kyungsoo turns to look back at him, ready to ask what the hell is going on. Only to find— a small brown dog yipping inside Jongin’s jacket.

“It’s not a pet!” Jongin says, “At least, not _my_ pet.”

“Jongin, why do you have a dog with you?” Kyungsoo’s head throbs in irritation.

“I found her inside!” he starts, “She was already here and it started following me. I couldn’t leave her, she has a collar, somebody must be looking for her.”

“And you just thought of picking him up?”

“Her. It’s a she.” Jongin says. The dog barks. “You are, you are.” Jongin coos at the fluff ball.

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and turns to look at the guard, “Sir, please forgive him, his mom drop—”

“If you’re with him, I’m going to ask both of you to leave.” The guard says plainly.

“ _What?_ ”

“It’s ok, hyung!” Jongin comes forward, “Now that you’re here, we can leave together.”

“Leave.” Kyungsoo repeats, dumbfounded. He wants to retort, say how this is not fair and how he was having so much fun with Baekhyun and Chanyeol, and that Jongin needs to leave that dog alone. But then he thinks back to that almost-kiss between him and Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s sadistic tendencies towards Kyungsoo and.

“Yeah, ok.” He grabs Jongin’s wrist and pulls him along, dragging him out.

//

**Jayu Shopping Mall, 5:06**

“So what are you gonna buy for us, Kim Minseok?” Lu Han sings in a chirpy tone. Mocking Minseok, as always, a great hobby of his.

Minseok turns to him, instead of a scowl, however, he shrugs with one shoulder, already reaching for his wallet and leading the way towards the food restaurants, all side by side in open invitation. "I said pretzels, didn’t I?”

Lu Han can hear the hurrahs from Tao and Sehun, he stills for a moment before sputtering in indignation with a scowl. “ _You will?_ ”

“Yeah.” Minseok repeats, he turns to the younger two, “Unless you guys want something else?”

“Pretzels are fine.” Sehun nods with an uncharacteristically sweet voice. “As long as our trusty, and caring hyungs pay for them.”

Minseok rolls his eyes but takes out a few bills.

“Wait, Kim Minseok!” Lu Han frowns, tossing himself in front of the shorter boy, “Is this because you’re technically the oldest? We’re basically the same age. Do you think you’re better than me because of that one month?” he scoffs.

Minseok thinks Lu Han might be one of the weirdest persons he knows. He glances quickly at Sehun who, sure enough, is staring at Lu Han and is probably not even listening to the one sided discussion he and Minseok are having. “Lu--”

“We’ll both pay for it!” Lu Han says proudly, as if the genius idea had just occurred to him, as if he’s upping Minseok at his own game.

Minseok can't help but laugh at his ridiculousness, shoving Lu Han’s shoulder, “Whatever you want, Lu.”

“Lu.” Lu Han repeats under his breath, staring blankly at the table next to them.

“Well, I’m hungry.” Tao appears and settles between the two of them, patting his stomach, “So if you’re gonna buy, do it now. Beauty doesn’t feed off air.”

“Wait,” Lu Han says with something akin to an evil glint on his eye. “I’ll buy everyone’s food if Minseok calls me Lu-hyung.”

The taller youngster grumbles, “What is this kink, Lu Han, just buy--”

“ _Lu-ge._ ” Minseok says bluntly.

Lu Han almost chokes on air. “What? Just like that?” he replies incredulously, money already out of his wallet.

“You said you’ll buy our--”

“ _I will._ ” he huffs out. Beside them, Sehun looks on with a miffed expression. He is half confused, half turned on by Lu Han’s enthusiasm at just paying for everything. However, he also notices that the older boy, the apple of his eye, his soulmate, hasn’t even turned to look at him once in this entire time. He wants to ignore the fact that Minseok is the reason for that. Time for plan B.

With bulging eyes, and without trying to garner the other two older boys’ attention, Sehun cranes his neck, giving Tao the expected signal. Tao gives him a small, unnoticeable thumbs up and, without waiting for a response, he coughs into the middle of Lu Han’s and Minseok’s conversation.

“Oh, geez, guess who just called me? On the phone. Right now.” he says loudly and choppily and Sehun knows Zitao isn’t going to get any acting awards soon.

“Who?” Minseok turns to him, curiously.

“Yixing-ge. He, um, he asked me if he could borrow some money from me. Because he forgot his wallet.” Tao chuckles awkwardly as Lu Han stares at him with incredulity and slight disdain.

“Ok, that’s nice, Tao.” Minseok replies with a tilt at the end, sounding more like a question rather than a statement.

“Yeah, I’m gonna go give it to him but I don’t wanna go alone.” Tao states, “Minseok-hyung, please go with me.”

Minseok shrugs in a second, it doesn’t take much convincing and Sehun is grateful. “Ok, let’s go.”

“Why can’t Sehun go with you, Zitao?” Lu Han frowns at the younger’s direction, “Kim Minseok is of frail bones and old age.”

Minseok turns to give a death glare, suddenly menacing, “Whatever happened to _one month_ only?”

“It’s ok, I can stay with Lu Han,” Sehun interrupts, “We’ll get you guys food and then catch up to you.”

“Oh! _Oh_.” Minseok slowly nods,  “Yeah, sure. Of course.”

Lu Han doesn’t seem too pleased with the idea, but before he can start protesting, Minseok ushers Tao along and they wave goodbye to their friends.

“See you in a bit!” Tao smiles, giving a tiny, knowing smile to his friend before turning around to start chatting with Minseok.

Sehun thinks Tao is incredible and awesome and he needs to give him a gift soon. He also wonders if Lu Han paying for his meal counts as a date.

“Here.” Lu Han shoves a few bills into Sehun’s hands, “Go buy us some pretzels. Don’t take too long.”

Sehun takes one look at the money in his hand, then another at Lu Han, all ethereal and beautiful, even with a small scowl on his face as he sits on a booth and goes through his phone with mindless scrolling. He’ll consider it a date.

 

//

“Tao, did you know,” Minseok starts, “that you’re a good fucking friend?”

Tao has to look downwards at his older friend, a thought that makes Tao giggle on the inside.

They're walking along one of the narrow streets near the smaller shops that surround Jayu mall. While it's not true at all that Yixing had called Tao to ask him for money, the duo decided to actually go to where him and Jongdae had gone off to, the Chopped Noodle street.

“Aren't friends supposed to be good, though?” Tao hums, linking his arm with Minseok's. Minseok, while not usually very physically affectionate, had grown used to the other boy’s shows of affection, had even grown to be fond of them. Minseok supposes that's just part of Huang Zitao's nature.

“Yeah, I guess. Either way, Sehun is really lucky to be your best friend.”

“Best friend,” Tao repeats. He likes the word best friend, and he especially likes using it for Oh Sehun. “He _is_ lucky.” he turns his nose playfully, making Minseok laugh.

“He just likes Lu-ge a lot,” he continues, voice light, and untroubled, “And he's sort of dumb when Lu Han’s around. More than usual. So maybe if Lu Han starts paying attention to him, he’ll be happier.”

“Lu Han will make him happier.” Minseok quotes, pondering what Zitao has just said, as if it were a strange and alien thought. Perhaps for Minseok it is.

“I know sometimes he can be a little mean to you, hyung, but he's also very caring. He used to take care of me a lot when we were younger.”

“I don't necessarily think Lu Han is mean,” Minseok clears his throat. “He's just a little silly and moody. But I can deal with that. He's a good FIFA player, after all.”

“You guys spend hours playing that.” Tao responds with a sigh.

Minseok smiles, “I hadn't met anyone before Lu Han who could keep up with me at FIFA. And he buys me coffee, so he’s alright.”

And its true, Minseok tells himself. They had a rocky start, mostly because of Lu Han's  territorial and grumpy personality and Minseok's inability to back down. But right now he thinks they're cool, maybe even what one would call friends. With the amount of time they spend together, be at soccer practice, at the dorms, or during their free time, it'd be weird to not consider each other friends. Maybe Lu Han still bothers him a little (a lot) more than he bothers everyone else, but maybe that's just Lu Han's way of dealing with the fact that his number one rival is, in fact, not that bad. At least that's what Minseok think it is.

“So I guess Sehun can be happy with Lu Han.” he concludes, “He's a decent guy. It'd be ok if they dated.”

“That'd be weird,” Tao’s eyes bulges out, “I hadn't thought much about it but it'd be weird. Like seeing your older brother date your friend.”

Minseok laughs, “What about you, Tao? Do you like anyone?”

Tao shakes his head instantly, “Not really. I mean, I like a lot of people but not in that way. I'm still confused though. I'm not sure when I'll finally like someone.”

“It's ok, Zitao!” Minseok pats his back, “I haven't had someone I liked all through college. Maybe when we're older! Right now we can focus on food and friends.”

They near the end of the long clothing street. There's another small plaza brimmed with people and colorful stands, and as soon as they walk past it, they'll make it to Chopped Noodle street. He knows they'll get together with the rest of the group in a few hours, but the promise of hot chicken noodles in a cup is too tempting, especially after he didn't get to eat those promised pretzels and the slowly upcoming jarring weather.

“I wanted those pretzels,” as if reading his thoughts, Tao says next to him. “Now I want ramen.” 

He continues, “Maybe one day I'll like someone as much as I like ramen, but today is not that day.”

Minseok can't help but wholeheartedly agree.

//

 

**Eatery Alley, 5:13**

“I can’t believe he did that,” Jongin exclaims, dog still buried inside his warm jacket, “What was I supposed to do? Leave the dog alone? Never!”

“I can’t believe you just pick up dogs out of nowhere and put them in your jacket.” Kyungsoo sighs, letting Jongin lead the way amongst the crowded street. “Where are we going?”

“We should go to the park near here, right?” Jongin’s deep voice drawls out as he muses, “People take their dogs there all the time for a walk. Maybe her owners are looking for her there. They must be worried.”

Kyungsoo gives a noncommittal hum and, after one look at the, tiny, brown maltese currently panting in excitement, he decides he might as well look for the owner of the small pup. Does he have a soft spot for cute puppies? Perhaps.

“Ok,” he starts, “But let’s go to the food market on our way there. I’m craving fish cake and you can buy it for us.”

“Aye, but Kyungsoo, aren’t you the hyung here?” Jongin laughs. Kyungsoo swears he can see his lungs from where he is walking beside him. “You should treat me and Dubu to some fish cakes! Wait, I think she might want some squid on a stick.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes bulge out of its sockets with a splutter, “You should be treating me! I got kicked out of the arcade because of you!”

He continues, “ _And,_ I’m pretty sure that dog is not the one who wants a squid stick, you greedy little brat.”

“Her name is Dubu, it says so on her collar. And she likes squid, she told me so.” Jongin tilts his head with seriousness and Kyungsoo thinks he is absolutely ridiculous.

“Well, I can buy Dubu her squid stick but nothing for you.”

The taller boy flashes him a small grin, “It’s ok, she’ll share with me.”

They make their quick way to the street food stands, where they settle for cheap squid sticks.

“Wow, are you really buying, hyung?” Jongin asks, “Aren’t you the best? Can I get two sticks?”

“Don’t test your luck, Kim Jongin.” Kyungsoo warns him before asking the old man in charge of the stand for their food. The squid is warm and delicious in their mouth and Jongin, true to his word, shares his food with Dubu, who devours the pieces she receives faster than Chanyeol on a good day. Kyungsoo is impressed.

They take a shortcut from the food street to the nearby park, two blocks away from Namdaemun. The crowd seems to be dwindling, most people hovering inside the stores and restaurants the market offers. Kyungsoo can already start feeling the light breeze gain force, even though the sun still has hours left until sunset. He likes this side of Seoul. The moment before nightfall where everything seems to settle for a bit. He looks to the side and finds Jongin smiling as he eyes his surroundings, curious expression on his face in tempo with the cicadas’ song. Kyungsoo doesn’t understand how someone like Jongin, who's lived in Seoul for many years, still has the heart to be so in love with the place. Kyungsoo has never loved anything for that long, he is sure.

 Jongin must have felt Kyungsoo’s staring and, as he turns around, their eyes meet for a brief second. The shorter boy squares up his shoulders before quickly averting his eyes.  He feels absurd. He’s about to say something-- _anything_ before he starts feeling more awkward than he needs to be, but Jongin suddenly beats him to it.

  
“Kyungsoo, I don’t mean to be nosy, but, can I ask you something?” he asks curiously, taking another bite of the greasy seafood, dog still nuzzled inside his jacket.

Kyungsoo scrunches his eyebrows in confusion, “Go ahead.” They’re nearing the small park, leaving the stores and bustling people behind before crossing the street.

“Chanyeol, he--” Jongin starts, eyeing Kyungsoo, “He likes Baekhyun, doesn't he?”

Kyungsoo falters for a moment at the sudden question, then stares at the younger boy for a second before averting his gaze with a cough.

It’s not like Chanyeol has ever told Kyungsoo. It’s also not as if everyone in the world notices. But Chanyeol is his best friend and Kyungsoo spends 3/4s of his life with him and Baekhyun. He’d be pretty dense to not notice.

“Sorry,” Jongin interrupts his train of thought, “I shouldn’t have asked, it’s none of my business, I’m sorry.” They arrive at one of the benches where the taller boy plops down before placing Dubu onto the floor, where she immediately starts rolling playfully in the grass.

Kyungsoo laughs at the pup before following Jongin to the small bench. His thighs touch Jongin’s own, but the decreasing temperature allows him to not fret over it.

“It’s ok, Jongin. I guess it’s kind of obvious?” he asks the the younger boy.

Jongin finally zips up his jacket completely, settling down with legs outstretched and hands in pockets.

“Maybe I just pay attention.” he offers, “I don’t think Chanyeol is being too obvious. If he were then maybe Baekhyun--”

“Would notice?” Kyungsoo finishes instead, pulling at a string of his blue cardigan.

Jongin gives him a small smile, “You see, Do Kyungsoo? This is what love does. It just complicates things.”

Kyungsoo slumps in his seat with a sigh, “It does, doesn’t it? Fucks them right up in the asshole.”

Jongin laughs. Abruptly and loud and a similar laugh bubbles up from Kyungsoo before he can control it.

Suddenly, Kyungsoo forgets what they were just talking about. His heart is lighter.

 

//

**East Myeongdong Street, 6:07**

The smell is of dirt and past rain. The air is crisp and fresh, if not for a tad too cold, and the sole street of picturesque downtown beauty is serene as is almost everyday of almost every hour. Except in this particular hour, the peace is broken by two squawking boys.

“Yifan, this is one hundred percent your fault. Where _are_ we?” Junmyeon chastises with a booming voice as he squints his eyes, looking for any street sign in near vicinity.

A couple of paces behind, and with both hands busy carrying shopping bags, Yifan splutters, “Me? Junmyeon you were the one who wanted that one moisturizer at all costs.”

“Oh, so you’re saying it’s my fault now, aren’t you?” the shorter boy complains with an indignant sniff, turning around with crossed arms and a scowl. “You were the one who spent almost an hour looking at hair products.”

“Well who has the one who adamantly took us out of Namdaemun for that cream in the first place.” Yifan mutters.

“We could have easily gone back to Namdaemun if we had left early.” Junmyeon glares. “It’s getting so late, I can barely look for any signs here.”

The taller man sighs dramatically before making his way to one of the street benches. Junmyeon is still desperately looking for any map or directions. He looks like a little scurrying squirrel. The thought makes Yifan quietly laugh.

“Are you really just sitting there while I try to get us out of here?” Junmyeon whines at Yifan’s mediocrity.

The latter however, waves him away with a yawn, “Well, I’m the one who’s been carrying your shopping bags, haven’t I?”

“Please, half of those are your bags.” Junmyeon grumbles under his breath but with no bite, finally relenting to Yifan’s unvoiced invitation and sitting down next to him.

They stay in companionable and tired silence before a soft ringing can be heard from afar. It’s light and playful and it brings Junmyeon a reminiscence of his childhood he can’t quite put his finger on. Not until the sounds become clear and Yifan is the first to spot the truck.

“Thank god, I’m so hungry.” Yifan cries out. He turns around to look at his friend. “Do you want an ice cream? We haven’t eaten in awhile.”

Junmyeon definitely wants one. “Aren’t we having dinner at seven though?”

Yifan rolls his eyes. “Live a little, Myeon. Be right back, I’ll go get us some.” Junmyeon looks unsure, but is too tired and hungry to fight back.

Yifan runs towards the ice cream truck and it’s not even a full minute before he’s panting, out of breath. Junmyeon almost snorts at the poor soul. Hands clasped together behind his back, he looks up at the sky for a drowsy moment.

Soon, Junmyeon can hear Yifan’s now calmer steps waddle across the grass and slowly come to a halt before him. He stretches into a sitting position again and is met by the sight of the taller man offering him a huge cone of vanilla ice cream.

“How’d you know I like vanilla?” Junmyeon takes the cone before Yifan plops down onto his seat again.

Yifan hums as he takes a lick of his own chocolate goo, “You seem like a vanilla type.”

Junmyeon stills for a second, brows furrowed, before licking his own ice cream. “I don’t know what that means.”

“Good.”

The night sky is irrevocably a dark blue by now, small specks of stars lighting up downtown Seoul.  Junmyeon has given up on the idea that he and Yifan will be able to make it back to Namdaemun by themselves. With that thought, his body relaxes into the bench and dives in for more of the dessert.

Beside him, Yifan is also relaxed--not that he wasn’t before-- their shopping bags surrounding him like little ducklings, and Junmyeon tries to surreptitiously steal a glance in his direction. Yifan doesn’t notice, too engrossed in his cone. The shorter boy sighs and turns to look back up, enjoying the fresh nocturnal air.

“You’re gonna run for President next semester, aren’t you?” Junmyeon interrupts their shared silence. Yifan finally stops gorging his food, ears catching his friend’s words.

He doesn’t turn to Junmyeon, eyes fixed on the pavement  meters from them. A couple of seconds go by, short of being awkward, before he clears his throat and replies. “Yeah. That’s the plan.”

Junmyeon hums before nodding. “I will too. Run for president, I mean.”

Yifan gives him a smile more akin to a teasing smirk than anything, “Everyone knows that, Junmyeon. You’ve been pretty much announcing your candidacy since second year.”

He gives a short laugh, rubbing his neck in slight embarrassment. “I guess so.”  Even though his muscles don’t go back to relaxing like they once were, he goes back to licking his cone, amicable sigh escaping his lips. “Good luck, Yifan.”

Yifan gives him a side eyed glance before bursting into a radiant gummy smile, baritone voice warm in contrast with the chilly air around them. “Good luck to you too, Myeon.”

Junmyeon smiles back. He’s glad that if he’s running against someone, that someone is Wu Yifan.

He looks at his watch. **6:54**. “We really should be getting back!” Junmyeon all but shouts. “Didn’t we say we’d meet everyone at 7:00?”

Yifan gives a noncommittal grunt, furrowing his fuzball eyebrows, Junmyeon thinks he might start whining, not unlike Tao. “Those little shits can wait.”

Junmyeon splutters for a moment in disbelief. The sobers up and looks at his now melting ice cream. “Yeah. They can.”

 

//

**Yuseong Arcade, 6:43**

Chanyeol looks like a madman. Arms flying everywhere along with the beat of the artificial drums in front of him.

**103 points.**

“Fucking hell, Yeol, you look possessed.” Baekhyun cries with an excited jump from where he’s watching, next to Chanyeol’s seat, his converse squeaking against the dirty arcade floor. “If you reach 156 points you’re gonna beat the record.”

Chanyeol doesn’t answer, just smiles wider, teeth baring, never taking his eyes off the screen in front of him.

**123 points.**

The sounds his drumsticks make against the plastic drums seems to reverberate through the small corner they’re at, getting louder with each beat Chanyeol plays. Baekhyun smiles giddily at the screen. He knew his best friend was really good at playing the drums, but it seems he has underestimated his abilities. “133...you’re almost there.” he urges.

**145, 149, 155. 156.**

“Yeah!” Baekhyun screams, scaring a few nearby children. “You did it Chanyeol!” he goes on to cling onto his friend like a puppy, Chanyeol returns the hug in the same manner, red face from exertion.

“I thought I was gonna lose.” he admits, smile still in place, cheeks rosy, and hair strewn.

Baekhyun smiles at his friend, he tries to tiptoe his way around him to ruffle his hair, but decides against it after looking at the sweat accumulated on his forehead. He looks back at the bright, colorful screen.

“It’s asking for your name.” he notes, “You High Score name.”

Chanyeol looks back, standing before the screen, hands just above the buttons. He ponders for a moment before typing away.

“ _Baekyeol_?” Baekhyun reads as Chanyeol types, “I didn’t even do anything.” he laughs.

“You were my cheerleader!” Chanyeol exclaims, pressing enter. The screen reads **_High Score: Baekyeol_** and Baekhyun’s eyes glimmer for a moment. Chanyeol stares for a moment until the other boy  abruptly turns away.

“We should head out,” he sighs with a pout, “It's 10 till 7. Junmyeon will kill us if we don't get there on time.”

Chanyeol rolls his eyes but follows Baekhyun as he leads them outside the arcade. The sky’s already setting down, the hues of orange and pink completely disappearing from the skyline, giving way to stark blue and bright stars. The temperature has finally reached freezing degrees, so it’s good both Baekhyun and Chanyeol had chosen warm coats and scarves before going out. Still, Baekhyun shivers. He blames it on his small and short frame, but no one will catch him saying that out loud, god forbid.

“Aw, is poor Baekhyunnie cold?” Chanyeol taunts, not looking better himself, what with a red nose and both ears to match. Still, his hoodie, big even for giant man Chanyeol, seems cozier and warmer than Baekhyun's clothes.

“No, I’m not, you oaf.” he shoves his friend, making him lose his balance with a tumble.

“You’re weak that’s what you are,” Chanyeol keeps on smiling as they make their slow way to the group’s meeting point, Bongdong Arcade. “Winter will come for you and you will die.”

“ _I’ll_ come for you if you don’t shut up, Park.” Baekhyun threatens. He hops onto the sidewalk, using it as a faux ropewalk. “Now give me a hand unless you want me to die.”

“Of course, because you falling onto your death would be oh, so terrible.” Chanyeol's barks back, but offers a hand to Baekhyun, who is trying to keep his balance as he walks forward.

“Please, I know everyone would cry themselves to death. At least you. And Jongdae.” Baekhyun sticks out his tongue in defiance, still concentrated in not falling over. 

Chanyeol pauses for a moment, making Baekhyun almost trip. “Hm, maybe not Kyungsoo.”

“He would!” Baekhyun frowns, “He’d miss me the most, I bet.”

“Doubtful.” Chanyeol shrugs, still holding on to his friend’s hand, slowly making their way to the entrance of the other arcade. It’s not a long way from where they were, the walk should take no more than five minutes, with Baekhyun’s slow pace, however, it’s taking them longer than it should. With cold, unforgiving wind in their faces, it’s not exactly a pleasant walk. At least, it shouldn’t be. Somehow, their intertwined hands keep them warm, and  Chanyeol’s smile, along with Baekhyun’s low hums, seem to keep them content enough.

“This is nice. I hope you don’t die soon, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol smiles, sobering up a bit.

“Well, you better Park Yeol.” Baekhyun snorts, but smiles, eyes still on his own feet, as he hops off the sidewalk, finally walking next to the taller boy.

There’s a moment where they leave their hands intertwined, a moment of comfort, before Baekhyun shakes Chanyeol off in an attempt to wave hello at some figures in the distance.

“Sehun!” he shouts, the few people nearby all turn to look at him, “Lu Han!”

From where they are, they can see Sehun wave back, Lu Han, as always, seems to sport a frown on his face, but even he seems calm enough.

It seems they’re the only ones there, which means Baekhyun and Chanyeol got there on time, surprisingly. The small restaurant in front of the arcade seems warm and inviting, but they still need to wait for the rest of the group to arrive, much to Baekhyun’s dismay.

“Where’s Junmyeon?” Chanyeol says, “He was the one who wanted all of us here by seven.” he looks down at his phone’s watch, “It’s 7:07 already.”

“Him and Yifan went to get makeup I think.” Sehun says from behind Lu Han, half of his face already bundled up behind a giant scarf, so it sounds more like a mumble than anything.

“Makeup?” Baekhyun starts, but before they can delve too much into it, new voices come up from behind them.

“I’m hungry, when are we gonna go in?” Jongdae wails walking next to Yixing and Tao. Minseok follows a little behind.

“You look like an icicle, you weakling.” Lu Han finally speaks up as he sees an almost frozen Minseok. The shorter boy seems to be wearing Jongdae’s mittens and Tao’s hat, but even then, he doesn’t stop trembling.

“Shut up and be of help. Lend me your scarf, you seem to be doing well enough.” he frowns at Lu Han’s direction.

Lu Han grumbles but does as he is told. No one can say he isn’t merciful to his enemies. “Only because if you were to die, we’d need to get a replacement for the football team.”

Minseok stops his freezing death for a minute to raise an eyebrow and question his--friend-- but before he can say anything else, Lu Han throws him the beanie onto his face without another word. When Minseok removes the garment from his sight, Lu Han has already turned away to chat with Yixing.

They’re all in deep conversation with each other, low excited murmurs of reunion after a long day, when Jongin and Kyungsoo arrive. Jongin seems to be sniffling, while the older boy pats his back in what seems to be awkward consolation.

Baekhyun walks up to them, confusion etched on his face, “What happened?” he asks.

Instead of answering, a few more tears trickle down Jongin’s face. Kyungsoo turns to him, “He found a dog. He wanted to keep her, but we eventually found the owner.”

“We had a good connection.” Jongin speaks up, nose red.

“You did, But Dubu wanted to go home.” Kyungsoo clears his throat. Baekhyun finds it hilarious but refrains from making a comment. “And you already have three dogs, Jongin.”

Jongin nods, tears dwindling down to a solemn face. “You’re right. I’m gonna visit them tomorrow.”

Jongin breaks away from them, pout in sight, and walks to where Sehun and Tao are, probably to tell them about his heartbreak story.

“Where’s Junmyeon?” Kyungsoo turns to Baekhyun. “I had to hurry Jongin’s farewell because we were already late.”

He shrugs, “Who knows? Maybe he went off with Yifan on their long-awaited honeymoon.”

“We should go in,” Chanyeol comes up to them, hands on his hips, “We’re all gonna get a cold if we stay here any longer.”

“We should,” Kyungsoo agrees, “They’ll get here eventually.”

As if on cue, two pair of running steps echo through one of the empty alleyways right next to the arcade.

“Well look who got here late!” Baekhyun hoots into dark night.

“ _At exactly seven o’clock!_ ” Jongdae mocks as well, voice loud and clear as Chanyeol laughs along with them.

“Wow, Yifan how irresponsible of you.” Lu Han rolls his eyes, Tao and Sehun both agree with nods.

Junmyeon and Yifan, both carrying their shopping bags, growl at the younger students. “I told you we were gonna be late.” Junmyeon aggressively whispers to Yifan.

The tall boy rolls his eyes, panting, “Who was the one who took what too long eating their ice cream. It isn’t too hard, Junmyeon. Just lick away.”

“What _are_ they talking about?” Kyungsoo groans in disgust, already turning away to the restaurant’s small door. Everyone follows him along, leaving Yifan and Junmyeon to catch up to them.

The place is bigger than what it looks on the outside, still, it’s cozy and warm and a nice change from the deathly cold of the streets outside. They help the waiter move around tables, just enough for all twelve of them to sit together in a tight rectangle. They order an assortment of ramyeon and beef dishes. The place seems to come alive with each bite they take, laughter and conversation filling the silence of the once empty restaurant.

Jongdae seems to be in a competition with Kyungsoo on who gets to eat their bowl of egg ramyeon faster, with Chanyeol cheering them on, own mouth full with lettuce and beef. Baekhyun is in giggles with Sehun and Tao, as they recount their story about the sunglass store from earlier. Jongin and Minseok quietly mumble on in between bites, sharing their own college anecdotes, Lu Han eavesdropping and commenting once in awhile.

“I’m not even hungry right now, I blame you Yifan.” Junmyeon says to his friend, who is sitting next to him, squished between Junmyeon and Lu Han.

“It was a good ice cream,” he replies, taking a bite of his wrap, “Stop blaming me you gnome.”

“Gnome?” he shrieks, offended. Yifan shrugs before the other sighs, massaging his temples yet again.

Junmyeon slurps his soup once before turning to looks at the rest of his friends, all content and loud and happy. He wishes they could all stay that way forever.

It’ll be easier said than done, he knows this, but at least right now, in Namdaemun Market at 7:00pm, they are.

 

///

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> long note ahead! 
> 
> thanks to anyone who is still here! bless you readers! guys, hopefully i'll be updating more regularly now. i can't say that they'll be quick updates but at least they wont be as long as this one :(
> 
> also, a few announcements! 
> 
> the [free love au exo fest](exofreelovemods.livejournal.com)has started posting! i wrote a clumsy, cheesy oneshot for it! it's already posted but i can't say which one is mine. however, you can go ahead and guess the authors! i'll give you a hint: the main ship is a short dork with a tall dork and the tall dork is younger. ;) 
> 
> and prompting for the [golden exo fest](http://goldenexomods.livejournal.com/%20) has begun! please check it out, i'm one of the mods!
> 
> and last but not least! some of you may know the exo fanfiction, [Lights, Camera, Scandal](https://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/699449/lights-camera-scandal-kray-baekyeol-kaisoo-xiuhan-taohun-suchen-heirs%20) right? Well, I'm excited to announce that I'm working on a project with the author of said fic! Expect a version of Folie A Douze with her angsty characters and a version of LCS with my silly ones! Please anticipate!
> 
> (have you guys guessed that one secret ship? i gave some clues again! don't worry, chapter seven is my favorite for one particular reason...)
> 
> Have a good day, guys! Love you!


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